Whatever You Say
by Eryninn
Summary: Totally AU. Anakin and Obi Wan are separated, almost reunited, and the Jedi Order faces its toughest challenge. One chapter update on Nov 11
1. Anakin, at 15

Title: Whatever You Say.  
Rating: G.  
Disclaimers: I don't own the characters, George Lucas does.  
Warnings: None that I can think of, possible OOCness.  
Category: Inspired by a song fic cause it ain't a songfic. Possibly pre. Angst.  
Pairings: None.  
Summary: Anakin's thoughts mostly, though some of Obi-Wan sneaks in, as do other characters.  
Note: I'm not very good at writing about relationships. Nor do I think I can write a plotless piece of fluff, they usually develop one-and not bother telling me.

_656_

Anakin sighed and it echoed loudly in the rooms he entered, the ones he now shared with his Master. Typically, he was the only one there.

Upon reaching his fifteenth birthday, he, like other Padawans his age, had moved from the Padawan quarters to those of their Masters. It wasn't that he minded his new accommodations; he loved having more room to himself.

After a long day of classes that failed to capture and hold his attention, he loved to kick back and relax. The kitchen was stocked with good food or ingredients if they decided to make a meal from scratch. Or a snack, he was rather fond of the Coruscant cakes.

His Master had given him his choice of rooms and he had chosen one with a view of the city. The first thing he had done-secretly, of course, was find out which direction Tatooine was and accepted that one, it made him feel closer to his mother. Something he knew that his Master and the Jedi Council would not approve of.

They feared the bond of love between them. But it didn't matter to him, not in the slightest. She was his comfort, his strength. He missed her, wished that she was here with him.

Of all the things he regretted, losing her was the only thing that came to mind instantly. As he stood in the room, the silence around him was deafening, reinforcing his feelings of total and complete abandonment. If she were here, things would be easier for him to bear.

Not that he regretted coming to Coruscant with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon or helping them. Training to be a Jedi was everything to him. It was something he had always dreamed about and knew that his mother had hoped for when she realized he had unusual abilities.

But…looking around, he couldn't help but feel misplaced.

Incongruous among the calmness of the place. Obi-Wan had done his best to make it a center of warmth and security for him. Somewhere that he would feel welcome and accepted. Anakin appreciated the gesture. Really he did, even if he felt it was utterly wasted on him.

It was just that…the loneliness of their quarters depressed him.

As much as he hated to admit it, he found that he needed more than just a surface of welcome and acceptance. He needed to have more than his thoughts for company. He was no longer as self-sufficient as he had been on Tatooine, no longer satisfied with just himself for company.

Not that he didn't have companions there, he had several he loved to spend time with. And there was his mom. It was just that, being a slave automatically put fences between him and the other children.

He had gotten used to having others around him, being included in their days off and general horseplay. Here there were no boundaries between him and the others. He loved listening to their chatter. About how well they got on with their Masters and in their studies, how they were proud of them.

All he ever heard from his Master was how much he could improve. That he needed to focus more, to prepare more, and be mindful of his future. That he was better than his mediocre work showed.

They were no closer now than when they had first met.

He felt more like an obligation than a person to his Master…and he needed to be so much more. Not just feeling like it, but actually being it. To his Master, to his Master's friends, and to his own peers. He felt so far behind all the students here, even though he knew he was far more advanced than they were.

And it wasn't his arrogance talking. Anakin liked to think that he had a realistic view of his own capabilities, though there were those who would gladly disagree with that assessment. Yet, he knew this for truth.

They may have more training than he did having lived here for most of their lives. But when it came to using the power of the Force instinctually, none of them could reach him. Not even the Jedi Masters came close to touching his abilities.

Many considered him this "_Chosen One_" for his incredible talent. For his unusual birth and the way he could tap directly into the Living Force. Anakin had known himself that he was not exactly normal, even as a Jedi.

Of course, no one bothered to tell him this. What? Had they thought that he wouldn't want to know about this? He had to find out in the usual way, through the rumor mill.

It was a very lonely path he walked.

And the one person who was supposed to help him, help ease that burden was nowhere to be seen. Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was there for him in the physical sense of the word but he denied him the support he really craved. He couldn't complain about that even if he had wished to.

Oh, he realized that his Master was busy completing his own training under the tutelage of Master Yoda. Though Master Jinn had thought him ready for it and he had passed one of the greatest of trials ever put before a Jedi, Obi-Wan himself felt unprepared for the title and job.

Not to mention the other burdens that went with it.

From past experience, he knew that his Master would be off fulfilling one of them. Obi-Wan was either in a meeting with the Jedi Council about him, planning for their next mission, or, and this was the most likely possibility, meditating somewhere in the Jedi Palace.

He would rarely be found in their own quarters meditating.

Nope, that would mean that he might have to spend more than a few minutes with him. Sometimes it felt like he could barely stand to be around the young man he'd willingly made his Padawan six years ago.

The door chimed and in walked his Master. Instantly, Anakin turned to him, a tentative smile crossing his face. "Good afternoon, Master." He greeted once his Master had removed his outer cloak and placed it on the hook.

After one serious mishap in the past, he knew better. Obi-Wan had to become acclimated to the safety of their home environment before he said anything.

Obi-Wan looked up, startled out of his thoughts by the voice. The surprise didn't last. "Oh, hello, Padawan. Aren't you supposed to be out with your class? I could've sworn Master Windu was giving a lecture on the spatial equinox." He spoke with a slight disapproving sniff in his voice, as if he suspected that Anakin had cut class.

The Padawan hid his disappointment over the lack of warmth in the greeting by lowering his head, his braid lightly smacking his cheek. His braid was such a joke, he thought bitterly. It isn't as if he even notices me standing here, begging for some scrap of affection.

"Master Windu had to cancel, he was called into a meeting with Master Yoda and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine," he quietly explained. He didn't bother to elaborate, his Master would believe him or not, depending on his mood.

"Oh, I hope everything's all right," he said tiredly, rubbing his head as he walked by him. Entering the kitchen, he looked about absently, searching for something. Finding the kettle where he'd left it, he filled it with water and set it on the stove to boil.

While he waited for it to warm up, he became aware that his Padawan was behind him and asked him, only partially listening to the answer. "Was there anything in particular you wished for dinner?"

"Whatever you wish, Master," he said dully. Unbelievable, he thought angrily, how one person could so reduce him to feeling like a child with so little effort and so unknowingly.

"Padawan, I don't believe that I am an unreasonable man. If there is something you wish, let me know. I am sure that we can find it. Or order it," he replied, pouring the water into his mug. "We can afford to be indulgent every once in a while."

Anakin shrugged, not really knowing what to say. He knew it for the concession it was and he couldn't help but wonder what it was about.

While the water was still steaming, he added his special blend of herbs to it and inhaled the fragrance before blowing on it and sipping it. Feeling it work almost instantly, he sighed in relief as the headache he'd felt coming on since the early morning recede. It was only when the pressure inside his skull was relieved that he picked up on the vaguely disturbed feelings from his Padawan.

Turning to face him, he asked, cradling the mug in his hands. "Anakin? Is everything all right?"

Anakin visibly started and stared at him, startled to hear his name. Usually, his Master addressed him with a look or by his title, never by his name. He'd begun to wonder if Obi-Wan had even remembered he had a name before they had come here. "I'm all right, Master."

"Classes are going well?" he pressed. "You aren't having any trouble, are you?"

"Fine," he brushed that question off. His coursework never troubled him. It may have bored him, but he never found it troubling. Most of it was things he had learned by observation or listening to the talk about Tatooine. Also, his connection with the Force revealed many of the deeper things to his mind.

An eyebrow rose at that statement. "Really, Padawan? That's rather funny because it is not what I hear from your teachers. They tell me that you are inattentive and lack discipline. That you constantly challenge them and their teachings. Occasionally, you have been blatantly rude and argumentative. And during one class, if you would kindly remember, you got up and left the room using a very colorful colloquialism as you did. I had a difficult time convincing them to let you back in."

He shrugged, looking faintly uncomfortable at the pointed reminder. It wasn't like it happened in every class, only when he felt that what they were learning was wrong. He also knew that a lecture was sure to follow and he didn't really want to hear it.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan warned.

Sighing, he relented and gave him the answer he knew Obi-Wan was waiting for, though he knew it would annoy his Master. "I can't help it if I think some of the things they are saying are wrong."

"But you can help when you mention it," he replied.

"Oh, please. They won't listen to me outside of class anymore than they do in the classroom," he snorted.

"Nevertheless, it is unbecoming to mention their perceived failings in front of your peers. The classroom is their arena, not yours. They need to maintain discipline if they are to teach anyone effectively," he lectured. "And if you keep mouthing off or showing them disdain, it does not help your case."

"I know this," he started.

"Nor does it make a good impression on those you wish to impress," he went on ruthlessly. " It only enforces their opinions of you as an irresponsible and reckless youth. Not only that but it gives our impressionable children a bad example. Whether or not you see it, they look up to you. For all your young years, you have accomplished much. You are supposed to be a good role model for them, not a rebellious one."

"Yes, Master." He traced an invisible pattern in the ground, only half listening to him. It wasn't as if he hadn't heard all of this before and from others. They all pushed at him to conform. "I have been trying. You know I have, Master."

"I know. It's just that you don't seem to try hard enough. You seem so," he started to say when the com beeped. Reaching over, he picked it up and answered it with a curt greeting. "What?"

"Interrupted you, have I?" Yoda asked, a sharpness in his voice that caused him to wince. "Important work you are doing. More imperative than what words I have for you, sure of this you are? Call back later when less busy you are, should I?"

"No, Master Yoda," he quickly said. "I apologize for my rudeness. What is it that you wish of me?"

"Wish to see you and Padawan Skywalker in our chambers, I do," he replied.

"As you wish, Master Yoda," he said good-bye and put it down. With a deep sigh of regret, he poured what was left of his drink down the drain. It wouldn't do to keep the Council waiting for them. "Padawan," he started but stopped at the sight that met his eyes.

Anakin stood in the doorway, his formal robe already on. A resigned look on his face, as if he had been expecting this. He held out Obi-Wan's own cloak and helped him into it without complaint. Though the alarm bells were going off because he knew his Padawan was never this obedient even after a lecture, the Jedi ignored them for the moment.

There would be time to talk to him later.


	2. Anakin, at 17

654321

At seventeen, Anakin had given up hope that his Master would see him as anything more than an unwelcome burden placed on his shoulders. A burden that had forced him to grow up and adjust faster than he would've liked.

Oh, he understood the reasons behind the behavior well enough. It was also true that in recent years, his Master tried harder to be a friend and confidant to him. Still, the memory of their first years together haunted him.

Even now, he could still hear the tone in Obi-Wan's voice when he spoke to Master Jinn about him.

Obi-Wan had never really approved of his presence. Like everyone else, he thought that he was too old for the training. He had told Master Jinn in his hearing no less that he felt that '_the boy_' was dangerous. And his use of the word had stung more than the way Qui-Gon had said it for there had been no affection, no gentle humor underling it.

His Master truly felt that there was nothing to be done for him, that they should have left him alone on Tatooine, and had only took him on as his Padawan because he had promised Qui-Gon that he would train him.

And the Council decided that he was too dangerous to be left to his own devices, especially when they found out that the Sith had returned. He had tried to convince himself that their feelings and treatment of him didn't matter, that he would prove them wrong and make them proud of him.

And he had a true friend and ally in Palpatine.

Palpatine helped him, in ways that the others never thought about. In many ways, he was the father he'd sought in Obi-Wan and could not find in him no matter how hard he looked. He always made time for him, always sought him out. The senator always had an ear ready to listen to his troubles and advice to go along with it.

That thought only worked for so long before the need to be accepted, to be loved, came over him. For the senator was never there when he really needed someone to be there for him. It never worked when the night terrors overcame him. At times like those, he desperately needed someone to cling to and no one came for he had learned to keep quiet when they struck, not wanting to be seen as less than a perfect Jedi.

And a Jedi showed no fear for they banished fear.

Or when he saw Obi-Wan quietly meditating on their patio. The way he'd look up at him, a serene and welcoming smile on his face. The gentle murmur of his voice greeting him and inviting him to join him in quiet contemplation.

Anakin lived for moments like those, rare though they were becoming.

Sighing, he pushed back the covers and went to sit in front of the window, staring out at the darkening sky as stars began to faintly glow just beyond the murky gloom of the city. Once the stars pushed away the clinging film of smog, he let the darkness embrace him before he felt like he was drowning within it.

The thought made him shiver momentarily before he pushed it aside as absurd.

He knew the night as no one else did. He did not fear it for he knew there was nothing in it that had the power to hurt him. Drawing his legs up under his chin, he stared aimlessly out the window, the dream still echoing in his mind.

Remnants of it reached out to him still, causing a shiver to rock through him, buffeting him under its intense waves. Closing his eyes against the light, he gave into the weight of the despair he'd felt calling to him. There was something unnerving about the light that hurt him.

Within his soul, he felt a craving for the night to ease his aches.

On the same level that he now recognized the voice of the Force, he knew that it was not right to feel this way. To hear beyond what the Jedi did. Yet, something was out there, something that wanted desperately to talk to him.

Yielding to it, he fell into a deep trance-and woke up from it screaming.

Obi-Wan bolted straight up in bed, his covers falling unheeded to the floor, chilled to the bone by the sound. Leaping up, he left the room at a run and entered his Padawan's room. Eyes searched the whole room, seeking out the source of Anakin's distress.

Upon finding nothing, he faced his charge, puzzled. There was nothing in the room or the Force when he searched that should cause such an extreme reaction in him. Anakin was not one for flights of panic. It worried him, especially the pale complexion of the normally healthy youth.

Carefully, he approached the wide-eyed young man. As slowly as possible, he sat down, not wanting to startled him. When the terrorized blue eyes met his, he tentatively rested a hand on the bare shoulder. "Anakin?" he found the name came easily to him.

It always did when he saw, not the Jedi Knight in training, but the young boy who had carved a place inside his life-and his heart, though he did not allow himself to dwell on that thought. The idea twisted his heart for he did not want to lose another person he loved because he was not strong to protect him.

Protect for him from his own caring about him. Pushing that thought away roughly, he saw him as the youth he had taken on as his Padawan Learner.

Another painful thought, may be, but not quite so hard to accept with his fragile emotions.

Anakin vaguely heard the voice and leaned instinctively into the half-hearted embrace. After a tense moment, the arms of his Master closed firmly about him, holding him securely to his warmth. One of his hands gingerly rubbed his back, as though afraid of how he'd react to it. Letting go of the dream, he relished the contact that happened so rarely in his life.

He felt…safe within those arms.

Protected from the darkness that kept hounding him. It did not burn as the light at times did, nor did it feel cold like the dark. He recklessly drank it in, feeling rather drunk on it, all the while knowing it for what it truly was.

He couldn't help himself, though.

False though the sense of security was, he let himself believe that Obi-Wan would keep him safe from the demons that plagued every one of his dreams all to often lately. It was the only thing he could do to prevent himself from going completely mad with confusion and roiling anger he felt at his own helplessness.

Through their teacher/student bond, he could feel the younger man relaxing and realized that he would soon be asleep if he didn't do something. And if he slept, Obi-Wan would never learn what had just happened. Though part of him wished to let it go, let the troubled young man sleep, he knew it was not the wisest thing to do.

From past experience, he knew that his Padawan would either deny it had happened at all. Or take his troubles to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. He knew that was partly his fault. He had not paid as much attention to him in the past as he should have.

There was always something else to do, something that came up and he just let Anakin and the full extent of his training slid by him in a rush to do what was required of him by the Council.

Still, that it was the senator that Anakin trusted with his inner thoughts, with his deepest secrets and worries, galled him. For no matter what anyone said, he couldn't find it within himself to trust the senator. The man reminded him of a large, greedy, poisonous spider, spinning a large and complex web about them all.

The analogy did little to comfort him.

Clearing his throat in an effort clear him mind, Obi-Wan tried to get Anakin to speak about his terror while it was still fresh in his mind. "What is wrong, my young apprentice?"

The words threw cold water on his feelings of well being, even though he had been expecting it to happen. _I am only an apprentice to him_, he reminded himself both harshly and sadly. _Obi-Wan can't even bring himself to think of me as a friend, as a trusted companion_.

Sniffing disdainfully at his thoughts, he shoved his feelings as best as he could into a small corner of his mind. His soul cried out from the loss of the comfort and connection it had felt only seconds before, craving them with every fiber of his being.

"Do the Jedi truly not dream?" he asked, half evading the question.

"It depends on what you mean by dreams, my Padawan," he answered after a bit of thought. Though he knew what Anakin was doing, he thought it best to let him compose himself, to gather his thoughts together. He knew that if their positions were reversed, that is what he would want.

He knew for it was he was doing at that moment. Dreams and their place in the lives of the Jedi were a tricky thing. It was not always a give and take thing, even if he often said to those who asked him that dreams pass in time. They did-but sometimes what one called a dream was often a nightmare or a vision as Master Jinn had been visited by them every once in a while.

Looking out the window, he contemplated the night sky. It seemed different to him somehow, an oddly ominous coloring to it.

Shaking himself a little for his unusually fanciful thought, he answered the question, perhaps with a little more honesty than he normally would've shared. "Most of the time, we do not. Before we go to bed, we usually meditate upon the day and cast our worries out into the Force."

It was a pointed, but gentle remonstration.

"Our minds must be clear for anything the Living Force may wish to reveal to us at anytime, night or day. We as Jedi have visions, not dreams. For as you know, dreams are the way a mind entertains itself, we do not need to be entertained in such a manner. But dreams can occur, although that is a very rare happening. Dreams teach."

"Really?" he pulled back and stared up at him, noting the way the moonlight threw his face into stark relief. It changed his appearance, making him look both wise and mysterious. Dangerous even.

The startling visage reminded him of how he appeared on some of their missions. That strange mix of danger and wisdom had helped them out many times.

He wished that he knew the man behind the serene looks, what had gone into the creation of him as a person. _May be_, he thought wistfully, _I'll get some answers tonight_. _It would be nice_. His Master was a notoriously closed mouthed individual, something that had continuously vexed him. But he seemed to be in an unusual mood, sharing his confidences easily with him rather than shutting down.

"No, I made that up to see if you were listening to me. I have to test you every now and again, wretched child," he teased lightly. Once he got a smile-albeit a very small one, he answered him truthfully, ignoring the slight twist in his heart as he recalled the experience. "Master Qui-Gon told me that after I had had a particularly bad night."

"What happened?"

Tweaking the braid affectionately, he shook his head. Though there was a voice inside telling him to confide in his Padawan, he couldn't bring himself to trust it. Even if it did sound like Qui-Gon.

Something else held him back. He ignored the all to knowing voice that said it was his fear. Fear of allowing himself to love his Padawan, to let him in. Because that meant to open himself up to pain, to the eventual loss of his friend.

Taking refuge in another, much safer thought.

That it was the feeling that, with that confidence, they would be crossing that faintly invisible line of student/teacher to that of friends. Obi-Wan felt it was to soon for them to attempt to cross that line. So, he discounted his strong impression.

And the intense feeling of disappointment that hit him when he did so.

"Anakin, this isn't about what happened to me all those years ago. That is ancient history, which I know you find utterly dull. This is about what happened to you."

"Nothing more than a bad dream," he said, shutting down. It stung him, this reticence on his Master's part to open up. How was he to feel anything more than a child when Obi-Wan refused to treat him equally? And he could feel his Master's reluctance to trust him in this.

"Are you sure?" he asked, not convinced by his words.

Oh, he felt that Anakin truly believed what he was saying. Anakin had that ability to believe anything he spoke. It was his faith in his own honesty that allowed him to be so full of conviction.

But there was something more to it than what he could feel through the thin cracks in his Padawan's mental shielding.

Something resting beneath that thin veneer of calm his Padawan had pulled about his mind. Something that he wished he could put his finger on. Anakin was disturbed about something important, that much was obvious. Why wouldn't he speak of it?

"I can't help you if you don't let me know what you need," he added, feeling the need to say something more.

"Positive, Master," Anakin shrugged off the concern easily. He firmly pulled away from the comforting hug and stood up, watching him from the corner of his eye.

"If you're sure?" he hesitated as he rose. He felt as though he had let the situation slip out of his hands and didn't know how that had happened. Nor did he know how to reclaim it. Still, he couldn't push him to speak, didn't feel that it was right. It would only further separate them. He could only hope that Anakin would one day start to confide in him.

"I am," he asserted. Straightening the sheets, he sat down, waiting to see what he would do. "Sorry for disturbing your rest, Master." He finished, noting when he just stood there.

"Anakin," he paused, studying his Padawan's face. It was too calm for his liking, to still. It was so unlike him, that he hesitated in accepting his words as truth. "You do know that you can come and talk to me about anything that troubles you, right?"

Nodding, he watched as his Master slowly left the room giving him one final, searching look. _Yeah_, he thought with a ironic twist on his lips, _I know. But it's not like you really pay attention to what I have to say to you. You hear me, Master, you just don't listen to me_.

TBC…


	3. Anakin, at 20

Author's Note: I fudged the timeline just a little bit. The differences are obvious and hopefully will not interfere too much with the storyline. Hope you like this part and forgive me for taking so long with it. I have a few other projects that have taken up my time.

Author's Thanks:

_Alley Parker: Thanks. I am trying to keep it angsty and yet real. Plus, in character is always a good thing. Not close enough to get me in trouble, right? Slap Obi? Oh, I don't think I could do that. I sympathize with the guy for he doesn't have the slightest clue of what to do. Still, I agree that something should be done_.

654321

When he was twenty, he met Ambassador Amidala once more. He felt a connection with her he couldn't explain to his Master, though he wanted to. He was nervous to see her after so long. More than ten long years had gone by since they had last met.

What if she didn't remember him? What if she did but he disappointed her? What if her memories of him weren't as fond as the ones he had of her? What if she no longer looked as wonderful, as angelic as he remembered? What if she saw him and laughed at him, seeing him only as a silly and clumsy young boy?

Their reunion was anything but ordinary, due to the circumstances. The kind of meeting he'd wanted to have with her did not include an assassin trying to kill her. It was especially trying for she had just lost her friend to an assassin's bomb. Of course, it was highly reminiscent of the situations behind their first encounter, so he wasn't to upset.

Danger brought them together then, it seemed only appropriate that it would reunite them now.

And, other than the assassin and the tragic circumstances of her arrival, she seemed genuinely pleased to see him. It was not the uncomfortable meeting he had dreaded, far from it. Though he felt a bit worried about the intoxication he felt when he was around her, he did not let it distract him from his duty to protect her. He couldn't. Their reunion felt a bit like coming home to a good friend.

But not quite for there was something else going on between them that frightened him somehow.

Talking with her once again, laughing with her, reminiscing with the one person who had known his mom, he felt at ease with himself for the first time since leaving Tatooine. She listened to him and heard what he had to say with an open mind. She even had some words of encouragement for him, though she occasionally seemed to feel uncomfortable around him.

_It must be love_, he thought dreamily, _but how does one know what love really is when it is forbidden to us save as charity for all beings_?

Glancing around the room, he noticed his Master's concerned look and felt a wash of comfort rush over him. Recognizing the tilt of his head, he nodded that he was well and purposefully went back to studying the room, relieved when he felt that all to often knowing gaze leave him.

On the other side of the room, he saw the Chancellor and nodded his greeting to the man who had become a good friend to him.

One of his only friends, if he was being honest with himself and he tried hard to do so, life was much less complicated when he was. The man crooked his finger, inviting him to come over and join him.

Anakin walked slowly over to him, greeting guests as he did, a great reluctance weighing him down. It was a new experience for him. Usually, he couldn't wait to seek out Palpatine and learn from him. Yet for the first time in their acquaintance, an uneasy feeling filled him.

His internal warnings were going off.

Suddenly, his Master's words came back to him and he wondered if he was letting Obi-Wan's suspicions cloud his own judgment. _It's possible_, he unwillingly thought, not liking the idea for it smacked of mind control. _Except that his words have never bothered me like this before. I don't let them_.

His friendship that been something that the Jedi Council had not liked one bit. It had often been a point of contention between him and his Master over the years. They had had many arguments over his relationship with Palpatine in the past, yet Obi-Wan did nothing to stop their friendship. Why would they be affecting him now?

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine was a good man, he knew this. Everyone acknowledged this truth, even his Master admitted that it was so. The Republic would be in greater trouble without his able guidance. Senator Amidala trusted him, he had helped her.

In fact, he had helped them all in those days after the Qui-Gon's death and the fight for Naboo was over. It was he who helped guide and direct her through the complicated peace talks between the governments of Naboo, the Republic, and the Trade Federation. His fingerprints could be seen on the final agreements that had been drawn up.

As talented as Padme had been in the political arena, she didn't have the same amount of credibility and pull as the Chancellor did among the members of the Senate. Sure, they had listened to her and valued her opinion. But it had not been enough to propel them into actually helping her earlier or siding with her and asking for nothing in return.

Then why feel this doubt about him?

"My boy," Palpatine greeted him, a paternal note in his voice, "You seem most troubled. Surely you are not worried about this assignment? I recommended you for I feel that you will do your very best to protect the Senator."

"Thank you, Chancellor. I do appreciate the vote of confidence. I do not believe that my Master feels the same way," he said, feeling a twinge of disloyalty at the words. "Though I am sure it is only because I was a bit rash in our earlier discussions with my lady as to what we should be doing there," he hurriedly added.

"No need to explain, dear boy," he soothed him. "Your Master is one of the wisest of the Jedi. I am sure that he honors your opinions, even when he cannot properly say so. There are certain constraints upon him, you know, for the things you do reflect upon his ability to train you."

Anakin listened and nodded, thoughtfully turned to study Obi-Wan across the crowded room, trying to see in him what the Chancellor described. "Do you really think so?" he asked, seeking reassurance that it was not vain imagination that had him seeing it reflected in Obi-Wan's actions.

"Of course I do. Master Kenobi sees your potential as easily as I do. He is just bound by the code he lives by to not encourage you like this for it may lead to foolish pride," he smiled and accepted a glass from one of the passing waiters. "Tell me, what do you think you should be doing about the attempts on the Senator's life?"

"I think that we should find out who's behind them," he decisively said, quickly explaining. "Don't get me wrong, Chancellor, I think we do need to protect her from these attacks on her life. We should avenge the loss of life on the landing by keeping her safe, thus honoring their sacrifice and their dedication to doing what they felt was right. But I believe that it isn't enough to merely protect her from further attempts. That only burns out our energy. Rather, we should spend that energy seeking the one who put the price on My Lady's head. If we do this, then we can definitely stop them."

"Would it help if I spoke with the Jedi Council?" he asked, watching him carefully. As good as the boy's shielding had grown to become almost faultless, there were still some cracks within it that he could gingerly pry open. As of late, Anakin had become more distant around him, confiding less of his worries to him where once he would have spoken freely.

"Oh, don't do that!" he protested furiously. A quick, furtive look around showed that no one was near to overhear them and he went on, frantically. "Mas…I mean, the Jedi Council would think that I put you up to it."

"Do you think that I am incapable of protecting myself from them? That I have so little ability to protect myself against suggestions from a Jedi? Even one as gifted as you have proven to be?" he teased, watching the young man color slightly. He found it most amusing to bait Anakin.

Had the boy but known it, with those few words, he had given him a key to help drive a wedge between the Padawan and his Master. It troubled him that the two had been growing into their bond. They weren't yet at the point were Kenobi allowed himself to see that they were equals and friends, but it was getting there.

That was something that he could not allow.

"Chancellor," he began to protest.

"No, Anakin," he firmly interrupted. "I believe that you are quite right in your assessment of the situation. I shall speak with Master Windu. It was I, after all that suggested she have the Jedi protect her from these attempts. It will not seem at all out of place if I ask that they find the perpetrator of them."

"I don't know," he hesitated. It was a nice way out and would give Amidala peace of mind to know that those who had killed her beloved friend would be found. Still, should he accept it? Should he let the Senator do this? It felt somehow dishonest, almost as if he was betraying his Master even thinking about it. "I would hate to disappoint anyone."

"You could never be a disappointment to anyone," he paused, catching the startled look on Anakin's face. "What is it?"

"I've got to go," he walked off as quickly as he could after his Master, leaving the party far behind him. "Master!" he yelled out, watching the cloak turn the corner. "Wait for me!" The demand left his lips, though he knew it was most unwise of him to request it.

If his Master had found the assassin, he should not wait for him. That would cost them both precious time and even risk having the assassin kill Obi-Wan while he waited for him.

If that happened, he didn't know how he'd be able to live with the guilt.

Turning the corner at a run, he came to an abrupt stop. His Master was nowhere to be seen. In fact, the hallway was completely empty of any signs of life. "What?" he started to turn when a familiar feeling trickled through his consciousness.

It was the feel of his Master nearby.

Glancing up at a thought, he saw that one of the tiles from the ceiling had been moved. A tile, he knew from his studies, which lead into one of the utility pipes. "Go to the docking bay," he whispered urgently to his Padawan. "I'll try to intercept our friend from here. If not, the assassin will have to go there."

"How will I know who it is?"

"I tagged it," he replied. "Quickly now, we can't let it slip away."

_It_? Anakin wondered, even as he followed his orders. _And why didn't I notice when the attacker had made their move? Why hadn't anyone else_? He cursed his unobservant attitude, knowing he'd never hear the end of it from his Master when they were alone later. He would have to be more observant in the future.

_Master_?

'_Yes, my Padawan?_'

_Why did I not hear or feel the attempt made on My Lady's life_?

'_There was no attempt, just a feeling I had_.'

_Oh. But I did not feel it_.

'_You were otherwise occupied_' the reply sounded dry.

_Still, I should've felt something. A sense of…_he trailed off, realizing that he had been feeling uneasy all night. He had thought it had to do with a wave of doubt about the Chancellor. Obviously, the Force had been warning him about the assassin's arrival.

'_A sense of what?_' Obi-Wan asked, pulling himself free from the large pipe he'd been climbing up.

_Unease, Master. I realize that I had felt it but thought it was nothing more that being upset to be at that function. You know how I hate them_. He tolerated them at best, endured them as a test of his patience at most. There seemed to be nothing to accomplish standing around and exchanging small talk with people one had little in common with.

'_Padawan, these functions are very important. They serve a very important role._' He half-heartedly scolded as he scanned the room with his eyes and the feel of the Force. There was no point in bringing up an old debate, so he didn't even try to get up the requisite arguments to use. On this subject, his Padawan was as stubborn as his old Master had been-and just as irritating. If it wasn't so irritating, he would've found comfort in the connection.

_I know, Master, I know_. There was a snippy sound to the rejoinder, he'd heard this lecture before. It hadn't impressed him then either. This was one subject he refused to bend on, even if he did attend the functions.

'_If you know of their importance, then why don't you act like it?_' Turning towards the door, he made his way up to the rooftops.

_Knowing of their importance and actually caring are two different things, _he retorted, wondering if it would do any good. Anakin braced himself for some kind of partial lecture, knowing that his Master couldn't resist scolding him.

For a moment, Obi-Wan was tempted to scold him but gave up the effort as futile. It wouldn't do either of them any good. Besides, he seemed to be at a dead end with his search. Though he did not want his charge in danger, he hoped that Anakin had more luck. '_Padawan?_'

_Yes, Master_?

'_Where are you?_'

_Near the docking bay. Why_?

'_Be careful. The one we're looking for isn't here._'

_And if I don't find it down here_?

'_Take your pod and meet me on the roof._'

_Yes, Master. Master_?

'_What?_'

_Why do you keep referring to the assassin as an it_?

'_Because it's a shape shifter._'

_Great_.

'_Keep your focus, Padawan_.'

_You to, Master_. Though he was worried for his Master, he pushed it aside to focus on the matter before him. Slowly, he crept into the darkened area and felt about, extending his senses as far as he dared.

Nothing.

Getting into his pod, he started up the engine and drove off to meet his Master on the roof. As he neared it, he felt a prickle of warning and glanced around, trying to feel the thoughts and moods of the other drivers but found nothing to be wary of. Glancing up, he sighed. _I should've known,_ he thought ruefully. _Always has to be right in the center of the danger, no matter what its form. And he claims that I'm the reckless one_.

Battling against the changeling, his Master waltzed around in a familiar dance the young Padawan knew by heart for he had seen it many times. For every move made, Anakin knew how to counter them and press his own advantage in a fight. Knew every move his body would make and how to met it and twist it around to put him in a vulnerable position. Yet, it never failed to capture his attention, the simplistic grace of his Master's saber form and his style was inspiring.

For a moment, he just watched Obi-Wan in awe before recalling his duty to his Master and the Order.

Guiding the ship as close as he dared, he levered it just right over the building before activating his saber and joining the fight. He caught his Master's glare and shrugged, moving into a defensive position to best protect him.

Between the two of them, they forced the assassin to the edge.

Looking between the two of them, she knew that she was out manned. She seemed to wilt, knowing that this battle had only been prolonging the inevitable. When one of them reached out, she bent away from his hand and leapt off the building.

If she was going to die, she was going to die her way. It would be her choice on how to end it. And not the dictates of some Jedi Knights.

"Master!" Anakin yelled, shocked by the sudden turn of events. Anakin had been so sure that they had her. That they were getting a lead in their search for the one who hired the assassins. She'd been resigned to her fate, just wilting before them and losing the will to fight. Then she had revived and jumped off the building without a second thought, a last glance. This was not how it went. They should've taken her into custody, not let her die.

What kind of being valued their life so little that they would take it so suddenly and violently?

Obi-Wan rubbed his face wearily. Though he had half expected this to happen, he was not pleased to be proven correct. He hated it when that came to pass. And this…this was not a lesson he had wanted his Padawan to ever learn, unwise though that desire had been. "It is their own code of honor. They would rather die by their own hand with a sense of their honor preserved."

"But that is our only lead to finding out who is behind the attempts on Padme's life!" he protested, facing him, eyes wide with anger and distress. The very air vibrated with his feelings.

"Do you think that I am unaware of that fact, my Padawan?" he sharply asked him, meeting the gaze evenly. He decided to wait until later to point out that it was _Senator_ Amidala, not Padme. Anakin needed to be reminded that he should not be so causal with her name. Friend or not. "What would you have me do?"

"How about stop it?" he snapped, refusing to back down.

"I can no more stop that downward fall than you can, powerful though you are becoming," he mildly retorted, a frown forming on his face. "Have you not learned that there are limits to even the power of the Jedi?"

"We have to do something!" he argued, glaring down at him. It was on the tip of his tongue to point out that if they'd been searching for the real villain behind these attacks, this one wouldn't have gotten away. Only the fact that he'd talked to the Chancellor stopped the words cold.

Palpatine would take care of everything.

As he always did.

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What an ominous thought to end on.


	4. At 20, and Still Confused

_Author's Thanks:_

_Childish Whisper: Thanks. I really enjoyed your piece to. Anakin and Obi-Wan interaction is usually difficult for me, so I'm glad its working._

_Padfoot Reincarnated: Thank you. Palpy is hard to write. I am so glad he comes across. The jerk._

_Alley Parker: May be its the summary. It isn't that great. He did, so I was trying to work within that framework, while taking new twists. Thank you. I'm glad you like it._

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"And we will," he calmly replied, picking something up off of the floor. "We can trace this, find out where it's from. I will go to the archives tomorrow while you watch the Senator. Right now, I must see the Council, tell them what has occurred. You will go back to the party, reassure everyone that all is well and remind her to leave the cameras on in her room tonight. I do not believe that there will be another attempt but there is no sense in taking chances. We shall have one of the other Jedi watch over her tonight."

Anakin's shoulders slumped, all the fight leaving him. "Yes, Master." The final words of his Master stung him, making him feel as if he had failed in some way. A way he couldn't see and did not know quite how it had happened for the events of the night had gone by so quickly, he couldn't breath.

"Anakin," he stopped him from turning away, squeezing his shoulder. "This isn't a punishment. This is for her comfort, as well as your own. I don't think that you are as focused on this assignment as you should be. You seem distracted and worried. Have your dreams been troubling you?"

"No, Master. I can honestly tell you that it is not my dreams," he said, walking beside him to the still hovering pod.

"Is it your feelings for the Senator? Do you feel that we should turn this over to someone else?" he asked, still unsure of what the trouble was. All Obi-Wan knew was that there was something troubling him and he wanted nothing more than to help him out.

His head shook and he leapt up to the ship, extending a hand to pull Obi-Wan up to him. They climbed into the seats and started to descend before he answered the question, knowing that he should. More to the point, he wanted to. "No, Master. She's merely a friend that I wish to protect. My Lady has helped me out several times in the past, I'm returning the favor."

"We need to get the body before it causes a scene," he murmured. Even though he doubted it was as simple as Anakin was making it out to be, he knew that his Padawan felt that it was. _No point really in trying to push him for information_, he sighed. _It never helps_. "Then what is it?"

"It is nothing," he insisted.

"Are you sure?" he took a chance and pressed him.

"I'm fine," he said.

"You're so fine that you missed the warning signals the Force was sending out about the assassin being there? So fine that you can't seem to control your impetuosity for a few moments to hear when I'm speaking to you?"

He flushed, knowing that his Master was referring to the order to stay in the pod and keep her from fleeing. "All right, I let my worry overwhelm me. It won't happen again." This was the truth.

Anakin never made the same mistake twice. His own sense of duty would not let him.

"I certainly hope not," he said. Resting his hand on the tense shoulder, he kept his voice firm as he spoke. Firm but lacking in the biting sharpness he knew was sometimes present in his voice. "I need you to be at your best, Padawan. If you can't give me that, then I need to know it now. I need you to be here with me, not worrying about something elusive. Something you can't describe."

_Even if it is about you_? He wondered if he dared to utter the words but knew they wouldn't be appreciated. For whatever reason, Obi-Wan did not think he was worth worrying over. He often seemed embarrassed, utterly baffled by the presence of it, when it did happen.

"I will be, Master. I won't let you down again," he said, landing them as close to the unmoving body as he could without obstructing traffic. _And I won't_, he silently vowed. Of all things that he hated, seeing the displeasure on his Master's face ranked up at the top of the list.

Getting out first, he waved casually at the gathering crowd. "This is official Jedi business, move along." His voice was soft, lacking its usual brashness, but powerful in the Force.

Obi-Wan got out slower and went to the body. Kneeling down beside her, he took care not to disturb anything, hoping that intelligence would be able to find things that they couldn't. Examining it, he noted that the face was that of an unknown. Meaning that this assassin had never troubled them before. Or had never been caught. "Contact Master Windu. Tell him we have a Clawdite female, who may be behind the attacks on the Senator's life."

"You know that this one didn't work alone, Master. The attacks are to spread out for it to have been just one person."

"I will neither agree with those statements, Padawan, nor will I refute them," he sternly said. "Do not push your luck." But his eyes were not as hard as the tone in his voice. In fact, they were full of the fond exasperation they always had when they looked his way.

Anakin nodded, reading what he wasn't saying. He was getting rather good at learning the hidden language that Obi-Wan spoke to him at times. Not for the first time did he wish that he would just give him a straight answer. But he knew that wasn't Obi-Wan's way. "Yes, Master."

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It was quiet as Anakin sat up, waiting in the warm living room. His Master was still at the meeting with the Council discussing the assassin. Though he knew he should be in bed, Anakin found that he just couldn't settle down.

A feeling of unease filled the pit of his stomach and he couldn't rest.

He'd tried meditating, but without knowing where the unease was coming from, it felt soft and unfocused. Undisciplined. Useless. And he'd always had a hard time with sitting down to meditate anyway.

For him, he found that he was more able to meditate in the midst of action. There was something about the challenge of finding a focus in the midst of chaos that he found exhilarating. There was a peace he found when pursuing that goal in those times of crisis that he could not find anywhere else, though he had tried.

It was only with his Master's help that he could find it while relaxing. But there was no help for it, meditation was not what he needed right now. Not to mention that he doubted his Master would be pleased if he came in to find him practicing with his saber, though he would say nothing understanding his need for it.

So trying to meditate was out. He sat restively, making a mental list of the things he was sure his feelings had nothing to do with. It wasn't his Master. And he knew for sure was that it had nothing to do with Amidala. Though others were watching her, he was keeping track of her for his own peace of mind.

Those two things were a small comfort to him.

Holding onto the thought that it was merely a matter of time before Obi-Wan came home, he resisted sleep's pull, knowing he'd rest better if he could just talk to him. See if he could shed some light on the subject.

It had worked so often in the past, that he did not think it possible that there could be any other outcome now. Obi-Wan would know what to do. He almost always did. And even if he didn't, Anakin would feel better having talked to him about it.

Nevertheless, as the hours crawled slowly by, he felt his lids begin to droop. Sleep claimed him, despite the fact that he tried to fight it off.

_It was hot. The air was sticky with the smell of sweat and animals. Looking around, he couldn't see why he was there, among this crowd of raiders. He recognized them for who they were, Tuskin raiders from Tatooine._

_Watching helplessly, he noted the careful way they moved towards the moisture farm. It was a farm like any other, though he'd never been to one before. It seemed to be a nice, safe place, if a little to staid for his taste._

_There was a sense of peace and timelessness about it that touched his heart, opening it up to the people who lived there. While nice for the people he saw laughing and joking about a small table, he would take his home with Obi-Wan over it any day._

_He gasped as one face turned to the window, a slight frown on her brow. Shadowed eyes searched the horizon, seeking something in the distance for all that there was puzzlement on her strangely hopeful looking face._

_Even though she had gray in her hair and more lines on her face, he recognized her for his heart felt the same call she apparently felt for all her confusion._

_The claim of familiarity._

_Mom, he mouthed, drinking in the beauty that was uniquely his mother's._

_Oh, how he had missed her for all his continuous dreaming of her. Dreams did not do her justice for they lacked her life. Dreams could not capture her warmth. He had forgotten the curve of her smile, the way her eyes seemed to smile even when she was disciplining him._

_Seeing her brought it all back to him and he wondered how he could have possibly forgotten it all._

_Their time apart had been as kind to her as it had been to him. She radiated a love that he could feel even here. Its loving arms reached deep out into space, seeking a home. His soul reached willingly out for it, feeling it seep into his hungered heart achingly._

_Suddenly, the scene exploded in pain and blood. The house seemed to disappear within the blink of an eye. Anakin winced back, shattering inside with the pain he felt coming from them. From him. Though he had been dimly aware that it was coming, it still stabbed him, brought him to his knees._

_He watched helplessly as the peace all came apart_.

_Hopelessly, he witnessed the sheer brutality as the raiders attacked. Death, a savage song they sang expertly until there was no one left alive, save the women. Turning towards them, their eyes seemed to leer hungrily, lustily at them. On their banthas, they dragged them off into the hot desert._

"_Anakin!" his mother screamed. "Please, help us."_

"Mom!" he sat up, panting. His body heaved, heavy and weighted down with unbearable guilt. The muscles in his stomach clenched, seeking a relief that he denied, burying his face in his hands. A new, yet old, sick feeling crept over him and he couldn't stem the tide of despair that hit him in endless swells. "Oh, mom."

"Anakin?"

"Master?" he asked, looking up at him dumbly. Rising in relief, he took a tentative step forward, then stopped, unsure of his next action. He was older now, much to old to be running to his Master for a comforting hug, though he desperately needed it.

"What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be with the Senator?" he asked, not understanding the look of desolation in the young old eyes. It reminded him of something he had seen all to often in their early days. Days in which a simple hug, a simple touch, could chase it away. Sometimes he longed for those days when things were much simpler, much easier between them.

"I've got to go," he started for the door, determination coming back to him. He had a mission, a purpose. He knew what to do. It was all so clear, he did not know how he could have hesitated for even a moment. Even as he thought it, he knew the truth.

He knew why he hesitated to take the required steps forward.

The reason stood behind him, concern for his welfare resonating around the room. Though he did not know the source, Obi-Wan was willing to offer what little comfort he had to him. Offer it and not say a word. His own soul replied in kind but could not turn away from the horror he had witnessed.

He had to follow through the course his heart was urging him to take. A course that was not the Jedi way. But was as compassionate, as necessary as anything they did for the Senate. May be even more so for it was not manipulated by some kind of motive, it was done out of love.

Out of the compassion the Jedi were known for.

And this action would frustrate the man who had become his dearest friend. The man who had slowly but surely begun to remove the bands from around his heart and let him in. Had started to accept the love that Anakin freely offered him, for all his silence on his own feelings.

Anakin knew how he felt anyway.

He knew it every time he heard the words '_my Padawan_'. At first, he hadn't liked the term, equating it with being a slave under a Master. He had thought there was something degrading about it, for all that Qui-Gon had used the term. But as he came to understand the layers and meanings behind it, the very nuances the word contained, he craved to hear it.

It meant that he meant something to Obi-Wan.

He meant more than a promise to a dying man. He meant more to Obi-Wan than just a vague title that others had given him. To be Obi-Wan's Padawan was a gift, one that he used to take for granted for he had not understood that.

Now, he did.

And he would be wounding him terribly when he left. Leaving him to deal with the fallout of Anakin's choice. The censure of the Jedi Council and those who had thought that he should not have been trained. He would be leaving him to face it alone, without love to support him through the coming days.

Yet, he could not do anything else.

"Not like that," Obi-Wan objected, looking at him, appalled. "It wouldn't do to see the Senator in your night clothes. Why were you on the couch?"

"Not to Padme," he corrected his Master, taking a deep breath before taking the plunge. He was grateful as he did it that he was facing away from him. If there was anything he couldn't take, it would be to see those eyes go cold with disappointment. "To my mom."

"Anakin," he started, his head shaking wearily. He had thought that Anakin had understood that he could not go back. That it would be detrimental to his training, to his future as a Jedi. What had changed? What had happened that would cause him to throw away his dream like this?

"Don't!" he yelled, stopping him. Whirling on him then, blue eyes flashing angrily, he just let go. "Just don't! I know what the Council says about this. I know what you have to say. Don't you think I haven't heard you? Every time I bring it up, you tell me the reasons why I can't go to her. But I have to go this time, Master. I have to. _She's my mother_."

It was the whisper of despair that stopped anything Obi-Wan would have said. "Is there nothing I can do to stop you?" he finally asked softly, sadly. Resigned to this choice. Obi-Wan knew that this could go no other way. He could see it in his Padawan's expression.

There was a new kind of strength in Anakin's eyes that had been lacking lately. A strength of purpose and a knowledge born of knowing what was right. What he must do.

"If it had been Qui-Gon, would you remain behind? If you dreamed of him going into terrible danger, facing unending pain, would you stay in safety? Could you possibly turn away from him?" he challenged him to deny his words.

To deny the truth they both knew.

Silence was his answer. His head nodded knowingly as his Master dropped his eyes for a moment, seemingly ashamed of his own inability to answer.

Seemingly ashamed that he would abandon the Order for such a reason as emotion.

"No, my Master," he firmly stated then, there was understanding gentleness in his voice. "There is nothing to be said."

Ignoring the cracking sound in his voice, he stood firm. Everything with in him told him this was the right thing to do. He knew it as surely as he knew the voice of the Force. This was something he had to do if for no other reason than that it was for the forgotten of the world.

Yet he feared that if Obi-Wan he asked him to stay, he would not be able to resist his Master. Did not know if he could hold firm to this path that he was desirous of taking. Even though he felt it was the right course of action for him to take, he was not sure he would have the strength to go away.

_If Obi-Wan asked…_

End, this part.

Hmmm...so which way will Obi-Wan go?


	5. Anakin, On His Own

_Thank you, Alley Parker. You are right about that-except in AoTC, they don't actually know he made that detour. If he goes here, they will. I'm glad the emotion comes across and is not overwhelming. BTW, if anyone has tried to write me and had no response, it isn't b/c I'm ignoring you. It is b/c I've had to put my e-mail on extreme protecting due to spamming._

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Obi-Wan closed his eyes and bowed his head. The look in Anakin's eyes haunted him and he knew what his Padawan was thinking. That hurt him for he had thought that they had come farther than this, he thought that Anakin had learned to trust in him. After a tense moment, he nodded in resignation. There really was no other choice-for either of them.

In truth, there never had been.

This was Anakin, his Padawan, and the young man who had become his friend and companion. There was no question that he would do whatever he could to help him in this endeavor, foolish though he felt it was. "Take your clothes and the pack we set aside for the camping trip we were going to take to Da'tara 4. I will delay the Jedi Council for as long as I am able to."

"Thank you," he whispered hoarsely. Quickly, he went into his room and changed, throwing on one of the old, worn robes he had. Pulling out his pack, he began to go through it to make sure that all was well.

Once he was sure that he had everything he could possibly need, he went into the fresher and packed a few necessities. Catching his image in the mirror, he stopped and stared at his wide-eyed reflection, the paleness of his face startled him. Trembling fingers felt his Padawan braid and knew that he was going to lose it.

Permanently, with no chance at reparation.

It didn't matter, not really. It was just a length of hair. If he missed it, he could always grow it out again.

Blinking back the swiftly gathering tears, he straightened his shoulders and walked out. In the main room, his Master still waited, looking as though he hadn't moved from that spot since he left. Walking over to the drawer, he pulled out a pair of scissors and looked at them reflectively. The light above shimmered on the surface, mesmerizing him for a moment.

Coming to a decision, he turned and approached his Master before he lost his nerve and held them out to him.

Blankly, Obi-Wan stared at them, then up at him. "What?"

"I would rather you take my braid than someone else, Master," he said.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No."

Stumbling back in shock at the swift denial, his own head shook, denying what he'd heard. He just couldn't do this to him. Obi-Wan couldn't be so cruel. He just couldn't be that heartless, no matter how disillusioned he was with him.

"Please, Master," his voice cracked under the strain of his emotions and he swallowed, trying to regain his calm. He knew that if his calm broke, he would not be able to go away without saying or doing something he would forever regret. "I would rather you do it then someone I don't know. Or someone who never really gave me a chance. You may not have liked me, but at least you helped me."

"You misunderstand me, my Padawan," he gently calmed him, finally reaching out to touch him. His hand curved around the cheek and stroked it lightly. "I will not take your Padawan braid. Nor will anyone else. It is yours."

"The Jedi Council would not agree with you," he spoke bitterly, leaning into the touch. It wasn't a hug but it was something that he needed to feel, to ground himself against the waves of disappointment within his heart. He wanted to believe his Master, he really did. But he knew the Jedi Council and what they thought. They would not allow what they would see as a sacrilegious act of his to go unpunished, unnoticed.

"They have approved of this mission," he calmly countered.

"What?" he gasped, straightening up, looking at him in shocked wonder. "How did you? I mean, what did you do?"

"I did nothing." He immediately denied having a part in the rather surprising decision. His hand fell to his side. "It was all Master Yoda's idea. I take it you did not hear him when he entered? Or feel the presence of his Force signature?"

"No," he said, still trying to wrap his mind around what he'd just heard. His face brightened as it finally sank in. The Council was not going to stop him-and Obi-Wan would not be punished for allowing him to leave. "Are you to come with me then?" he asked, hopefully.

Obi-Wan smiled, putting on a brave face for him. No matter what he personally felt about allowing him to go on this mission alone-a mission that would bring him into contact with his mother, he would not allow himself to hurt this young man. Reaching out with a hand that slightly trembled, he gently touched the braid before letting go.

"No," he said, taking away the scissors from him then. He did not even spare them a look as he put them down. "This is what you have been waiting for, a chance to prove yourself. May the Force be with you. And may you have the wisdom to listen to its guidance."

"May it be with you as well, my Master," he repeated. His own hand momentarily touching his braid, relieved. Conscious also of the triumphant voice in his mind chanting that it was still his. His to keep even as he did something the Council disapproved of. They were giving him this chance, a chance to prove his worth.

But they were not the important ones. While he would love to have their approval, it did not matter to him if he did not get it. They mattered very little to him.

_His Master, on the other hand..._

Resolved not to let his Master down, he straightened his shoulders. Turning away from him, he went to the door and paused in the entrance, turning once more to face him, pleading with him. "Are you sure that you cannot come with me? I want my mom to meet you."

"Go on, Anakin. I believe that you can do this," he watched as Anakin turned and walked away. Closing his eyes and pinching his nose slightly, he felt sadness fill him with an almost unbearable pressure. In his mind, a door he'd kept firmly locked out of necessity opened. As much as he thought it would be wrong to look upon it now, he did.

And he saw all that he needed to see. In seeing it, he understood for the first time what he was looking at. Suddenly knowing what he had to do, he almost rushed out the door and after Anakin but stopped. _This is absolutely ridiculous_, he thought, shaking his head, discounting the impression.

'_Why the hesitation, my Padawan? You know what you should do. You know why you should do this for him-and for yourself. Why will you not do so? Why will you not take this chance?_'

'_Because they are just words._'

'_Are they?_'

The slight challenge caught Obi-Wan off guard and he glanced around, half expecting to see Qui-Gon in the room. His voice seemed so close to him, he was hesitant in his answer. '_Aren't they? They are just three little words. An all to often common expression that rarely live up to their promise._'

'_And yet, for Anakin, those three little words may be the difference between life and death._'

Obi-Wan stood, uncertain. There was truth, there was power, in what Qui-Gon seemed to be saying to him. Yet, he had never given much attention to what his dead Master said for he was never quite sure that he was truly hearing him.

Still, his point resonated within him. He knew of Anakin's dependence upon words. That it was words that grounded him as often as touch did.

And there was that unsettling reference to death that he couldn't shake off.

Shaking off the feeling that this was ridiculous, he walked to the door and followed his Padawan.

His Padawan stood by the pod, a sorrowful look on his resolved face. Hearing his approach, he turned towards him, a fearful look in his eyes. "Have they changed their minds so soon?" Anakin wouldn't have put it past them.

He wouldn't have put anything past them.

"No," he said, smiling to relieve the fear he could see clouding his Padawan's eyes. Though it eased some of it, he noticed that it was still there. "I just forgot something, my Padawan. Something that I think you should know."

"What?" he asked, titling his head curiously. Hearing that beloved name, his hand touched the braid again and a rush of joy filled him as he realized something else. Something that renewed his sense of purpose, of belonging somewhere.

_He was still Obi-Wan's Padawan_. Obi-Wan hadn't changed his mind about him. Even if he did not understand all the reasons for his devotion to his mother, Obi-Wan was still his friend. Still his adored Master and the rock in his life, the one he needed to help him through his trials.

He hadn't lost him.

"I love you," he simply replied.

"Master?" he whispered shakily, taking a step forward. _Unbelievable_, he numbly thought. _Obi-Wan couldn't have said whatI thought he said. And even if he did, how did he mean it_? But for all his confusion, he couldn't stop the swell of gratitude that the straightforward answer brought him.

"Go on," he gently ordered him, knowing what Anakin was thinking. His own thoughts echoed it. But it didn't matter, he said what he'd needed to say. The rest would come in time and only if the Force felt it was right. Now was the time for patience. "Your mother will not wait for you forever."

"Right," he stopped, undecided. Finally, he nodded and got into the pod. As he flew away, he suddenly realized that he never told his Master how he felt about him. He was finally free to do so-and to know that it was truly reciprocated.

Feeling through their bond, he felt a wave of reassurance hit him. There was also more than a little hint of uncertainty there. _Master_?

'_Yes?_'

_Just thought I should let you know, I love you as well_. He felt the pressure ease and a wave of peace fill him. It was going to be all right. It just had to be. Anything less was unacceptable.

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Stretching, he rose from his bunk when he heard the annoying voice announce that they had arrived at their destination. Taking his place in the pilot's chair, he fiddled with the controls for a while before making a decision. Anakin flew over the familiar planet and looked out, grimacing in disgust and trepidation at the sight before him.

Tatooine.

It was a planet he had hoped to never see again, for all his desire to see his mother once more. And for all of his promises made to her, both vocal and silent ones, he had not wanted it to be on this lousy rock in the Galaxy.

Not that he had wanted his mother to be sold and end up with a crueler master than the one they had in Watto. Strangely enough though, he had believed that it would be somewhere else. Somewhere that was not haunted by his past. By their painful lives, for all that there had been joy to be found.

Anywhere else than here.

Still, there were worse planets to go to. As he landed in one of the safer docking bays, he tried but he found that he couldn't think of one.

But he was sure there was one out there in the far-flung Galaxy that constituted as worse than this dust ball of a planet.

Before opening the door, he braced himself for the heat-and felt a familiar touch upon his mind.

_Master_, he thought, smiling a little at the thought of Obi-Wan. It faded as he felt irritation at the intrusion. For all the comfort his Master's confession had given him, he did not like the feeling that he was being monitored. That he was not trusted to do this on his own. His touch faded away after a little bit, he wondered why it had happened at all.

_If Obi-Wan wasn't going to speak to me, why had he even bothered to let me know he was there_? Capable though his Master was in the Force, there were just some things that took a great deal of his strength to do. Communicating over vast quantities of space was one of them.

"_Because he wants you to feel his support for you_. _Obi-Wan isn't interfering, he is just reassuring you that he is always there for you_." A voice whispered on the wind as he stepped out into the bright sunlight.

It was whipped away before he could process the words. Shrugging it off as not worth pursing, he picked up his bag and looked about. For all that it might be important, he didn't want to waste time better spent trying to help his mom.

Walking along the well-worn path, he noted that not much had changed since he had left. The place still reeked of corruption and seediness. Was still filled with every kind of scum and villainy, as his master would say.

His eyes narrowed as he saw the way people looked at him warily, seeing the clothes of the Jedi for all that they were not the color of the fabled knights. Straightening his shoulders, he ignored them and headed straight for Watto and his junk shop.

Bending down, he entered the dark interior and let his eyes adjust before glancing about. A young girl sat on the counter, watching him curiously. Her dark hair was shorn close to her ears. She seemed to be younger than he'd been when he left for Coruscant, though her heritage could be misleading. There was something about her that led him to think of Corellia.

Anakin could feel the slave emitter within her and wondered if Master Jinn had experienced the same thing upon meeting him. Shaking his head, he shrugged off the idea. Powerful though the Jedi Master had been, he wasn't that strong. He could only feel it because he'd lived with it for years, for all that he'd never been able to find it within.

"Is Watto in?" he asked in Huttese. The old language rolled off his tongue with more ease than he thought possible. He hadn't spoken it in ten years, other than to curse. The familiarity of his use made his feel vaguely uncomfortable.

"He's back there," she jerked her thumb in the direction of the junkyard. Her dark studied him critically, before dismissing him as of no worth.

"Is he with a client?" he asked, wondering how she could get away with such a dismissive attitude. If he'd tired that, he'd have been whipped. Even though his mom had tried to protect, it had not always helped.

Her lips curled up cruelly, noting his reaction with glee. "You could call him that, I suppose. The Hutts like to think of themselves as such."

Narrowing his eyes, he turned and walked away. Exercising all his self-control, he refrained from knocking her over. That did not extend to the shelves behind the counter. They went toppling over and he heard her jump in shock. Cursing, she hopped off the counter and started to clean up.

Walking out, he looked about and saw the distinctive form of a prosperous Hutt moving along with his former Master. Watto looked rather desperate, talking quickly to the unimpressed Hutt. Moving into the shadows, Anakin remained as still as a statue.

"Three days, Watto," the Hutt warned him before leaving.

"Troubles, Watto?" Anakin asked, his voice smoothly cutting into the tense silence easily. He smiled when he saw him swing about, flying into his face.

The beady eyes of the Toydarian narrowed, studying him as he moved into the light. "Do I know you?"

"Oh, I would say that you do. Should I be hurt?" Anakin mocked. "I think not since you probably only forgot who I was because you lost me in a bet."

The eyes widened as a thought teased through dulled senses before being pushed aside. It couldn't possibly be. There was no way that this Jedi could possibly be…

"Anakin?" he silkily finished the thought, smiling at the shocked expression. Growing tired of this whatever it was that was going on between them, he dropped the act. "I'm here for my mother."

"Shmi is not here," he said, flying into the shop. Though it seemed impossible, Watto decided that he would accept this young man's word that he was who he said he was. There was a distinct look about him that reminded him of the boy. "I sold her a few years back."

"Where is she now?" he asked, keeping the hard edge out of his voice with effort.

"Some moisture farmer bought her," he hesitated, as though thinking about it. In reality, he wondered if he could get anything from the return of his old slave. It would solve a lot of his problems, especially with Gardulla the Hutt.

There had to be a way about the whole 'he was a Jedi' thing. If only he could think about it clearly…

Anakin exerted a bit of Force pressure upon him, "What is the moisture farmer's name?"

"Lars," he said. "I believe that it was Owen. No, that was his son. Cliegg. Cliegg Lars. But you shouldn't worry about your mother, she's fine. He freed her and they were married. That was the reason he bought her, you know. He wanted to marry her."

Although he did not let his shock show, Anakin was surprised to hear this. He was no longer the only one in his mother's life, she had found someone else to love. She had not waited for him to return and that hurt, though he knew that is should not.

His mom deserved some happiness in this life. They both had had so little of it. He had Obi-Wan and possibly Padme, why shouldn't his mother have the same thing? _Because she's my mother_, he thought in answer to his own question, appalled at the thought of her with someone. _I'm supposed to be the only one she needs for love and affection. Besides, he couldn't possibly be good for her. He couldn't protect her from the Tusken raiders when they came_.

All these thoughts raced through his mind as he stood there, arms crossed over his chest. "Would you still have the Lars' address?" he asked.

"Of course," he said. "Never throw anything away, that's my motto. One never knows when the information might come in handy. But I warn you, it'll cost you."

"Cost me?" Anakin asked, not really that surprised by his words. "Come on, Watto, I know this place and all your hiding spots. I could take it apart in my search for it-and do it in such a way that you would not be able to recover from the search. Ever. As a Jedi, I could ruin you so thoroughly that you would never be able to recover from my efforts. So tell me, which of us has the true power here?"

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_Author's Note: I don't know how long it would take to get from Coruscant to Tatooine but I am having it be several days mainly because Anakin is a lone pilot. He doesn't even have an Artoo unit with him, which may not be the wisest thing but its Anakin. As far as I've seen, the guy doesn't think he needs any help. So, may be we can count that as IC. May be?_


	6. Obi Wan, On His Own

_Author's Note and Thanks: I am **so** sorry about how long it has taken me to post this piece. I have been trying to do weekly updates but I have been unwell, though I've managed to fight off the most severe symptoms of the crud that's invaded my home so insidiously for the past few weeks. It has been really difficult for me to concentrate on anything but, you know, feeling ill. I feel that I must say this, even though I know that you probably already realized this, Obi-Wan and Anakin will be separated for a time. But both of their stories will appear in each chapter. I am not up to full strength and stuff just yet, so I hope this chapter doesn't suffer from that. Thanks for your continual support and patience, Alley Parker and Naur. It's really appreciated, though I have also tried their new system for replying to responses. Not sure that I like it all that much._

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Watto backtracked immediately, surprised by this calmly spokenbut very effective threat. Not only effective, but thoroughly meant. He had not thought a Jedi capable of such a thing, for all that they had become nothing more than the watchdogs of the Senate. "It was just a joke, Ani."

"_Anakin_," he stressed. "My name is Anakin." In spite of his confidence, he did not add that Watto should call him Jedi Skywalker. This was an old acquaintance who, for all his flaws, had not been a harsh master. It didn't feel right that he should demand that he treat him distantly, as though they had never known each other.

"Very well, Anakin," he conceded. Turning away from the young man he no longer really knew, he focused on the slave in the background. Barking an order to her as she stood there, watching them with a curious expression on her face, he thought about what he was going to do. Though she went to do what she was told willingly enough, there was a trace of hated resentment in the look she shot the both of them. "Now, as to the address of the Lars, they live out in the wastelands. Cliegg Lars is an independent and stubborn man."

"Thank you for the help, Watto," he said, memorizing the address and location he was given.

A fond look entered his eyes, "Say hello to your mother, would you? Ask her to visit me sometime. I rather miss her-and you to."

"I will," he agreed, surprised by the request-and the sincerity behind it. Watto actually meant what he said. Anakin was touched.

Then the look fell away, replaced once more with familiar calculation. "Listen, Anakin, how about helping me out."

_I knew he was going to try something_, he thought. _Some things just don't change_. "What is it?"

"I've got some old debts to pay, if you know what I mean. As a Jedi, you could help to me. Those I owe credits to, they are not so understanding that I've fallen on tough times."

"A Jedi does not use his powers to help people like that. We serve the people, not by making them forget what is owed them, but by helping them find a solution to the problems before them," he said, sounding remote. The words were not his own, but ones he'd heard several times before.

Watto glared angrily, as though offended that Anakin had suggested that he would attempt such a thing. "How dare you think I would ask that of you?" He flew off to the corner of the building, staring off into the junkyard.

"Because you would," he stated. There was no doubt in his mind that if Watto thought he could get away with it, he would ask Anakin to do it. "What do you want me to do?"

"How are your racing skills?" he asked, glancing back at him.

"I've been known to race a few times," he shrugged. "Master Kenobi says that I shouldn't focus so much on such things, so I have not done it with any earnest endeavor in years. Not since I was involved in a race against Sebulba's replacement."

"If I were to back you, how would you feel about racing for me in the upcoming pod race?"

Anakin was tempted by the offer. Sorely tempted. To race again. To be a part of that world from his youth. A world that was free of the drudgery that being a Jedi sometimes entailed. A world that promised an easy ride, as long as one stayed alive. It was something he missed. Thrumming in his veins was a sense of anticipation, of excitement that the promise of a race…of speed, of relying on his skill and wits alone promised him.

_A Jedi seeks not these things, my young Padawan_. It was Yoda's words but it was Obi-Wan's voice that floated in his mind, speaking them with his customary humor. _For all that we may find adventure, we do not seek it out. We do not crave it for in the end it is merely a momentary distraction. It is only instant gratification, something that will never fully fill you up or make you a better Jedi. Be mindful of yours feelings_.

"I can't. I am here to see my mother before I take care of some business the Jedi Council has requested of me." There was genuine regret in his words, he shook it off resolutely. He would not allow himself to fall into this world with its snares and enticements once more.

He would not fail Obi-Wan.

"Take a look at the pod after you've seen to your mother. You know how those of Tatooine are. They will not trust you because you are a Jedi. Jedi are not trusted in this part of space. Take part in this race, win their trust by being one of them. The Boonta Eve Race you won was years ago, there are not many who remember you," Watto wheedled.

Watto's points were valid and true. Plus, it was tempting. Very tempting but Anakin was once again aware of the dangers of falling prey to that life. "I'll talk to my mother," he mediated, knowing that he should just refuse to race altogether.

Leaving the shop, he felt a twinge of guilt for his actions. For the fact that he did not give him a firm refusal. Pushing it aside as unreasonable, he went back to his ship. It wasn't as if he had agreed to do anything.

_You didn't need to_, a voice mockingly said, _because you have already agreed to race for him. If only in your heart, your words about your mother aside. You don't want your mother's advice, you want her to give you permission to do this for you know that Obi-Wan would never give it. If you get caught, you want someone to blame_.

He hated the cold matter of fact truth in that statement.

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Master Obi-Wan Kenobi shook off the feeling of embarrassed relief as he watched his Padawan's ship depart. With a sigh releasing his confusing feelings into the Force, he turned and began to walk back to their quarters, stopping when he saw Masters Windu and Yoda waiting just beyond the doorway.

"Saw your Padawan off?" Yoda asked, moving up to him.

"Yes, Masters," he said, bowing to them. Though doubtful over the wisdom in giving Anakin a mission like this, he kept his own counsel, though he feared they were setting him up for a fall. "About the Senator and her protection? Am I to continue to protect her?" he asked, realizing that without his Padawan as back up, he wasn't sure the mission was still his. He did not doubt that he could do it alone, he just wasn't sure he wanted to do it without Anakin's help.

"No," Mace said. "There is another mission we have for you. It is something that should've been done a long time ago. We have not been as mindful of its necessity as we should've been."

"A mission?" he asked, arms folded as he looked at them curiously. This was new-and a bit worrisome for him considering the timing of it. He had not had a solo mission in over seven years. In fact, since before Anakin and he had gone to Zenoma Sekot.

"Many years have passed since lost your Master and time to grieve you have not been given. Vacation you will take, away from Coruscant you must go," the wizened Master ordered. The Jedi Council had spent many days discussing this, realizing that the only way they could get him to relax was to order him to do it. As much as Qui-Gon had been lax with his following their orders, Obi-Wan was almost zealous in his actions. It worried them, finally bringing them to this decision. "Deal with your loss to better serve your Padawan you must."

Master Windu spoke up before he could protest. A protest they had been expecting and could not allow him. For once, Obi-Wan Kenobi would think of himself-of they had to order him to do it. Mace practically snorted at the thought. In essence, that was what they were doing.

"You are not being reprimanded for anything you've done wrong," he calmly informed him. "Truthfully, you have been an exemplary Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan. For all that Master Jinn's death was a painful loss to us all, you have not failed us. You are not under suspicion of wrong doing. But you have not dealt with your grief as you should've. Taking upon you the full burden of a Padawan, you denied yourself release. We feel that it may do harm in the coming years as Padawan Skywalker becomes ready to take his final steps towards his Knight Trials. You know as we do that they are fast approaching."

"I will, of course, abide by the Council's wishes," he murmured, unable to fully understand what had just happened. What was he going to do with himself during what was, essentially, an enforced vacation? He could barely handle having off days, spending them training, pushing himself to the limits of his endurance, instead of relaxing. Something he knew worried Anakin endlessly.

"Allow you to deal with the loss we did not. Selfish we were in this, forcing you to deal with what we could not. While the past cannot be undone, it can be learned from in order to help the future," Yoda said, knowing what he was really thinking. "Informed Captain Typho must be that Master Tachi will be replacing you as protection for Senator Amidala, you will."

"Very well," he said and bowed, watching them leave. With another sigh, this time an unhappy one, he turned towards the waiting skycab. Master Tachi murmured a greeting as he sat down and he nodded, falling silent, wondering what he was going to say.

As much as he wished to, he could not simply ask Siri to tell Senator Amidala about the change. She deserved to hear of it from him, though he did not know how she was going to react. Anakin and she were, to all intents and purposes, friends. Telling her that he was on a solo mission might not be the best idea.

And yet, he could not lie to her.

The other Jedi understood his need for silence and sat, observing the Senate as they approached. It was early morning, so there were a few groups walking into it, ready for the coming business. Others remained outside, enjoying the crisp morning with pleasure. Getting out of the cab, she quietly thanked the driver and they made their way into the building, nodding at the various greetings they received.

Curiously looking at Master Tachi, Dorme only greeted pleasantly. "Senator Amidala will be with you in a few moments," she informed them.

"Thank you," he said. "Is Captain Typho available?"

"I believe that he is in the next room, adjusting the security cameras and speaking with the Jedi who were here last night. Would you like to see them?"

"Yes, I would appreciate it if you would ask him to join us when he is done," he said, smiling slightly at her. "Thank you. As for the Jedi, it would be best if they remained in position until later."

"Very well," she turned and left them. Entering Padme's room, she walked over and put the finishing touches on her coiffure, "Master Obi-Wan is here with a Master Tachi. There is no sign of the young boy he had with him yesterday."

"Did he say why?" she asked, wondering why Anakin was missing. She hoped that he was all right, knowing that he had followed Master Kenobi. And part of her breathed easier. She didn't know if it was relief that he was not there-or if it was worry because he was missing.

"No, my lady. He also requested Captain Typho's presence," she said, avoiding asking her what she thought about how strange this seemed. Though she could count herself as one of Padme's friends, she knew that some barriers should not be crossed.

"I hope this does not mean something bad has happened," she nodded. "Will you tell him to meet us?"

"Of course," she bowed and left Padme staring at her reflection, more than a little curious.

Siri walked about the room slowly, examining it to get a better feel of it. "Very nice," she murmured appreciating the décor. "Not to ostentatious like some other senators I could name. There is an understated elegance and design to this room. If the rest proves as uncomplicated, I should be able to keep Senator Amidala safe."

Obi-Wan sat down, weariness filling him. _May be the Council was right_, he thought as he closed his eyes. _May be I do need some time away from the city, far away from the distractions of a Padawan who will soon be given his Knight Trials_. Hearing the sound of someone entering the room, he opened his eyes and stood, bowing.

"Mater Kenobi," Senator Amidala greeted him with a smile. Walking over, she accepted his hand as she critically studied him. "It is good to see you well after the events of last night. Were you able to stop those who attempted to take my life?"

"I am afraid not, my lady, though she did give us something that may lead us to those behind it. My lady, Captain Typho, may I present Master Siri Tachi," he quickly introduced them before she began to ask him any more questions. He knew that she was curious and wanted to help in the investigation.

The Jedi did not blame her one bit. If it had been him, he knew that he would not want to be kept in the dark but would want every opportunity to be of use. Senator Amidala was a smart woman and did not like feeling useless. He still remembered feeling very impressed by how she took charge of the situation on Naboo all those years ago. She had proven to be compassionate, while keeping firm in her convictions. And when it came down to it, she did not falter when it came time to defend her people.

But this situation was different, they kept her out of everything. She was not allowed to interfere and had to let others do the work, take the risks. An insightful woman, she might have something to offer that would further their investigation, he knew that she already suspected a few people.

But he could not allow that, knowing that she might just do something stupid that could get herself killed. As much as he did not trust politicians, Amidala's voice had been one of consistent reason and steady logic. They needed her to remain safe.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Senator," Siri bowed to her, nodding to Captain Typho who had quietly entered and stood by the window. Though he acknowledged her presence, he said nothing and made no move, so she addressed the senator. "I have watched many of your speeches and found them to be well thought out and insightful. I thank you for your confident, unwavering stand against the creation of an army."

"Thank you, Master Tachi. It has long been my opinion that to create an army would give the wrong impression to those who wish for a peaceful separation, though I would be sorry to see them go," she said, though she was confused. Why was the second Jedi Master needed? "Forgive me for asking but what is going on?"

Exchanging a look with Siri, he gestured towards the couch. "Perhaps we should sit down," he suggested, knowing he was only drawing out the moment. Once seated, he cleared his throat and decided to come right to the point. "There has been a change. My Padawan has been called, through the will of the Force, on a mission. As he might need help at some point, the Council has thought it best to replace us as the team protecting you."

"I did not think it necessary to bring the Jedi in on this in the first place. I only _agreed_ to allow the presence of the Jedi because I know you and Ani," she angrily pointed out. "Now, you tell me that you are no longer going to be involved. No offense towards Master Tachi, but I do not know her. What is this mission Ani's on? If he really is on a mission, which I do not believe for a moment. Isn't he rather young for a solo mission?"

"_Jedi Skywalker_," he stressed both the name and the title, though he could not say why, "Is on a mission for the Jedi Council. There is no reason to say otherwise. I am not one to lie about Jedi business. Due to the nature of this mission, I am not allowed to talk about. He will be fine for he has trained many years for this."

Taking a deep breath, Padme forced herself to relax. Nothing would be gained by going on the offensive with him. But she couldn't help asking for more details, though she could see that she had annoyed Obi-Wan. "Would you at least tell me where Ani is?"

"I realize that you are friends, Senator, but his name is Anakin. He is no longer a little boy and should not be addressed in such a fashion." Though he did not feel it was his place, he could not stop from upbraiding her for the use of his nickname. Besides, he was well aware of how Anakin viewed his childhood name.

Padme slowly nodded, showing that she understood. "All right. Would you tell me where he is? I do not intend to interfere, I would just like to know that he is safe."

"He is where the Force has called him."

_Of course he would say that_, she thought, slightly vexed. _No wonder Ani found him frustrating. He would never answer a question with the response one wanted. It was always vague_. "Why aren't you with him? You are his Master, shouldn't you be with him now? Is that not why you have been asked to turn this investigation over to Master Tachi?" she asked. "Are you not still responsible for him?"

"He is still my Padawan," he said, his voice slightly harder than he had intended it to be. It couldn't be helped, her attitude seemed to condemn him for something and he found it irritating. "But he is also a member of the Jedi Order. He, as I, obey the will of the Force and the Jedi Order. They have given him this mission."

"But what if something happens to him? Don't you care about the danger he might be in?" She was appalled by the disregard that Obi-Wan showed for his Padawan.

"Worrying will not help him. Anakin is a smart, capable young man. I have every confidence that he shall do his best." He was surprised to find that the words he spoke were truth and wondered when that had happened. "I have several things that I must attend to so I shall leave you now. Do not worry for I am leaving you in very capable hands."

"I'll show you out," Captain Typho said before Amidala could stop him. Though he was worried about the change, and a little upset, he could see that it had not been a decision that the Jedi Master had made. His discomfort and guilt showed. As a result, he was willing to accept the change with grace and ease his guilty conscience. "Thank you for telling us this yourself. I realize that it was a difficult thing for you to do. I am sure that Master Tachi will be more than able to help us."

"Thank you for your understanding, Captain," he murmured.

"Senator Amidala understands as well, Master Kenobi. But she does not like to ask for things, especially a service such as this. She feels that the Jedi would be best off serving the Galaxy, not taking care of her when she has her own officers to do so."

"Yes, I know." Obi-Wan opened the door and nodded, walking out into the hall, heaving a sigh of relief to have this unpleasant duty over with. Then he felt guilty for doing so. Still, he was relieved to be able to put this mess behind him.

Walking along, he made his way swiftly through the gathering press of senators. He couldn't wait to get out of here, he hated…er, disliked being around duplicitous politicians. They made him feel uncomfortable with their hidden meanings and agendas. There were few he actually tolerated but in the mood he was in, he hoped that he didn't run into any of them.

"Master Kenobi?" a surprised voice asked from the throng of people.

He grimaced and stopped, forcing a pleasant expression on his face. To quote Anakin, he had jinxed himself with that thought.


	7. Obi Wan, What To Do Now

_Author's Note, Explanation, and Thanks: Only Obi in this chapter, though Anakin is far from forgotten. This has taken me a very long time to get out and I thoroughly apologize. My computer is having a major crisis in that the c-drive is corrupted-and I can't get into anything on it. Luckily, I have some of my stuff backed up on discs. So, I've been trying to get it edited and ready for posting while being on limited computer and internet access. Since I have my own computer, I don't really rank all that high on the list of people who get it. I will write to all my reviewers at some point, I promise. Padfoot Reincarnated, I give you my heartfelt thanks for all the support-and don't worry about it. I know how RL can be._

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Quickly moving his way, the man confidently joined him, asking more questions as he did so. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Senator Amidala since young Skywalker has left?"

"Senator Organa," he greeted, adding wryly. "News travels fast in the Senate I see. And not always the kind one would wish for. Why you can't work as fast and as successfully as you gossip is something that I wish to understand. Our job would be much easier were the Senate to do so for we would not be called upon so often."

"I am trying my best but others within the Senate are not so inclined. Do I detect a hint of criticism about our methods?" Bail asked, voice teasing him.

"Not at all," Obi-Wan demurred calmly. "I am merely making a statement. If I have given offense to you, I do apologize for it was not my intent."

"Is everything all right?" he asked, noting the look on his face.

"Things are fine."

"Ob-Wan, we have been through much together. I would like to think that we are friends," he softly said, looking concerned. "That you may confide in me for I am concerned about you. Why has Anakin been sent away?"

"Jedi Skywalker has not been, as you put it, sent away," he reprovingly told him, annoyed. This assumption that people had that Anakin was being punished for something was getting more than a little tiresome. Yes, he was well aware of the reputation his Padawan had been earning as that of a troublemaker to rival his Master. But those who perpetrated those stories only heard of his more outrageous acts.

They were not aware of the quiet victories his Padawan had also been a part of. The ones that affirmed Obi-Wan's opinion that Anakin was on the right path. His own fears about his Padawan's emotional dependency fell away. "In the life of every Padawan comes a time when they are given a mission of their own. A Jedi Trial, if you must know. That is the extent of what you may hear for it is not a matter for the Senate. It is the business of the Jedi Council for this is Jedi business."

"Peace, Obi-Wan. I am not your enemy," Bail said, surprised by this strong reaction from the normally composed man. He had always known that Obi-Wan was protective of Anakin but this was something he had not expected.

"I apologize, Senator Organa," Obi-Wan said, truly regretful. Rubbing his hand over his face tiredly, he explained, "It has been a long and trying few weeks. One which I have not had time to adequately process."

"Yes, I heard about Ansion and your successful venture to unite the diverse people there. We of the Senate are most pleased with the actions taken that have helped those there. You are making quite a name for yourself, Master Kenobi," he teased as they walked along.

"A good one, I hope," he replied with a smile, before sobering up. "I do not see why such a fuss is being made over me. I am merely doing my duty and honoring those who've taught me. I am merely one of many such Jedi who are only serving the people to the best of our abilities."

"Ah, but none of them have such a colorful Padawan as yours is proving to be. Much the same as your former Master was," he trailed off, noting Mas Amedda, one of the Chancellor's own high ranking officials, walking towards them. There was a purposeful look on his face as he walked towards them, bowing to them in turn when he arrived. Off hand, his arrival could only mean one thing and that worried both men.

"Is there some problem with the Supreme Chancellor?" Bail asked. He may not have cared that much for the man's policies and questioned some of his behaviors, but he was still a man he respected. A man that he trusted would do his best for the Republic and the people he served with and for. Even if some of his practices were questionable, he had done nothing dishonorable.

"Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is well, Senator Organa. There are a few things that kept him working through the night but they will be addressed at Council later. It is nothing to do with Republic business that has me down here. Rather, I have come with a request for Master Kenobi," he informed them, face impassive to any close study.

"Yes?" he asked, mildly curious. The Chancellor had never before expressed any desire to speak with him. This sudden desire had him worried about what it might be, though he was almost positive that it had to do with Anakin.

"He did not tell me what it was about, just that he desired a few words with you before you return to the Temple. Though I believe it has something to do with the switch in Senator Amidala's protection."

Suppressing a sigh for the words confirmed his suspicions; Obi-Wan forced a smile onto his face. A smile he desperately hoped no one could see beyond to the truth. "I would be pleased to speak with the Chancellor about anything he wishes to hear, especially in relation to Senator Amidala. I know how concerned about her he is for he did recommend that my apprentice and I watch over her. May I speak with you after this meeting, Senator Organa?"

Though curious to ask why, Bail nodded agreeably. "I will be in my office until late afternoon, though I do have a meeting in a few minutes. Any time in the afternoon, I am free. Will that be acceptable?"

"Yes, it would. Thank you, Senator Organa." Hiding his relief at not being pressed, though he could see the query there, Obi-Wan followed Mas Amedda up to the Chancellor's office. He was not looking forward to this one bit. As much as he could not fault Palpatine, he could not bring himself to trust the man one bit. It was irrational and not at all like him, but he could not ignore the way he felt.

Bowing to the Chancellor when he rose and walked towards, he greeted him with a pleasant expression, accepting his hand graciously. "Good afternoon, Chancellor. How are you this fine day?"

"I am well, Master Kenobi. It is not myself that I am troubled over," he said, indicating that they should both sit down.

"Oh, really?" Obi-Wan asked, keeping a neutral expression on his face. Sitting down on the chair, he watched as the Chancellor walked around his desk and sat down. Folding his hands in his lap, he waited to hear what he had to say.

"There are two things on my mind," he said, once he was comfortable in his seat. "As Amedda has told you, I am concerned about Senator Amidala. I heard that there was a switch in her protection. You are no longer in charge of her security?"

"No." His head shook slightly, his voice was carefully modulated to cover his irritation. He couldn't fault the man for his concern, but there was something oily about it. "Certain things have come up that has necessitated in the removal of myself and Anakin as her protection. I can assure you that she will be well cared for under Master Tachi. She is one of the best Jedi we have to offer. And, as a woman, she could pass as a handmaiden should the occasion call for it. Something that Anakin and I cannot do. I believe that this solution is better for the Senator in the long run."

"Padawan Skywalker, yes, he is the other thing on my mind. Is he not well? Was he wounded when the both of you chased the assassin down last night? Is that why you have been removed and you feel that you cannot tell me? Congratulations on avoiding an attempt by the way," he offhandedly said, concluding, "Or are the rumors floating about the Senate correct for once?"

"Thank you, Chancellor," Obi-Wan nodded, acknowledging his words. "Jedi Skywalker is quite well. He has a rather strong constitution and suffered no ill from the events of last night. If he were not, I would tell you for he counts you as a friend. For once, the Senate's rumor can be believed. He has been sent on a mission of some import for the Jedi Council."

"Master Kenobi, I do not mean to cause any offense but is it wise to let him go off alone? A mere boy not yet finished with his training? Last night he did not appear to be at all well when I spoke with him," he said, leaning forward against his desk to better observe the Jedi Master.

This Jedi was something of a curiosity to him, having come out of relative obscurity. He had hidden quite effectively for years in the large shadow cast by his Master, the revolutionary Qui-Gon Jinn to defeat a fully trained Sith warrior. Once that had happened, he had become a master at diplomacy and was often asked to handle the most trying of missions. Missions that even the most experienced and ambitious of diplomats would run away from.

Take the success on Ansion with its complicated politics and disparate tribes. From all that he had heard, much of what had been achieved would not have been possible without his considerable skills and foresight. The man took in situations and people, then made things work even under the most difficult of circumstances.

Just what kind of man was this Obi-Wan Kenobi that he could win the hearts of the most difficult of people and yet, remain an unassuming man who humbly went about his duty?

Obi-Wan met his eyes evenly, nothing more than a polite interest there. Yet his words were slightly harsh, for all the civility in his tone. "My Padawan's concerns are not your affair unless it interferes with his ability to serve the Republic to the best of his ability. He was well this morning when he was given this assignment. If he had not been, the Council would not have sent him on it. Was there something more you wished to speak to me about, Chancellor?"

"Come now, Master Kenobi," he chided him carefully. Palpatine could hardly take his measure, for he had effectively hidden himself from his study. Yet, he could not afford to lose this opportunity to quiz him. To discover just what it was that made him work. What it was about him that had caused such deep loyalty to develop inside Anakin for him. "I cannot think that I have done anything that would lead you to believe that I would wish to harm Anakin in anyway."

"No," Obi-Wan admitted, though he was reluctant to do so. There was a feeling that this whole conversation was nothing more than a sparring match. For the life of him, Obi-Wan couldn't figure out why it would be that way. What possible interest could the Chancellor have to engage in a word war with him? He was not any greater than any other Jedi. "You have done nothing but show yourself to be his friend."

"Then may I ask where he is?" he asked him, pressing just a bit.

"Chancellor, I cannot stop you from asking," he calmly replied. "However, I can refrain from answering as this mission Jedi Skywalker is currently engaged in is Jedi Council business. It will not interfere with the daily routine of the Senate nor stop us from performing our duty to the Senate. As it is the business of the Jedi Council, I am not allowed to speak to anyone about it. Even other Jedi are not told the details of this mission."

"Why is that, Master Kenobi? The Jedi Council is not asking him to do anything illegal, are they?"

"Of course not, Chancellor. He is merely doing something that cannot be interfered with. Friend though you are to him, any actions you take may hinder him in accomplishing his task. No matter how innocent your intent, you may do more harm to him than good." He spoke calmly, aware of an unholy glee that came over him as he denied the Chancellor the information he sought.

Obi-Wan was shocked by its presence and quickly released it into the Force. It would not do to feel such things-especially at this time.

Palpatine watched him, frustrated to see no cracks in his façade. The Jedi before him had one of the most implacable shields he had ever run across. Master Kenobi was proving to be a greater challenge than he had counted on. It was highly frustrating.

With a sigh, he accepted the words spoken with grace. "I would not wish to harm Anakin for he shows such promise. If you hear from him, will you let me know how he is?"

"I believe that is a request you must make to the Council, sir," he said, wanting nothing more than to get out of the office. It was cloying and slowly, but surely, closing in around him. He felt as though he could barely breath. "I am to depart on a mission of my own."

Palpatine was surprised at this and reacted accordingly. "A mission? But if Anakin were to fall into danger, you would not be available to help him. As he is your Padawan, should you not be within reach should there be a need for you to join him?"

"I am hardly leaving the known Galaxy, sir. Should Anakin need my aid-which I doubt for he is a capable young man-I will not be far away. I do not intend to desert him though I go off to accomplish the work that is being asked of me." Though his words were spoken with dry amusement, it was with great restraint that he spoke them.

Inside, he was fuming. _How dare all of these politicians…these pompous fools **dare** to think that I would abandon Anakin should he ever have need me_? He knew that he had often been remiss in the past, had often let him fall by the wayside, but he did not think that he could be accused of wantonly neglecting him.

"Forgive me, Master Kenobi, for I seem to be unable to properly speak to you about my concerns. I suspect that in my worry over Anakin, I have been rash in my words. I mean no offense towards you or your colleagues," he graciously apologized. "You are correct, he is a capable young man. I have trouble seeing him as more than the bright child who helped saved my world. You have seen him grow up and become a confident young Jedi. Please, forgive me for allowing sentiment to cloud my words."

There was an odd feeling of hollow victory he felt as he sat there, watching his opponent. It was not what he wanted for it was only a minute sign that he had hit a sore point for Obi-Wan. A tiny tick in his cheek, only that. But it was something. Yet, he could not tell if it was because of what he implied about Anakin's apprenticeship under his care. Or if it was directly related to Obi-Wan's private feelings about him.

Palpatine was no fool. He knew that the Jedi Knight did not trust him, no matter that his deferential attitude said he did. This distrust favored him-and yet, it worked against him for he could see Anakin falling away from him.

Slowly but surely, the boy was returning to the Jedi fold. His emotions were becoming more controlled, less likely to burst out. More importantly, he was more often inclined to listen to the counsel he received from the Jedi, from his Master.

If not for this news that both were going on missions that removed them from his sphere of influence, he would've attempted to work on Obi-Wan a bit more. Try to soften the man up so that he would be more agreeable to his presence in Anakin's life, more pliable.

"You have been a friend to Anakin. One who has understood what he has lived with before he came to us and a kind voice that he has often needed to hear," he murmured, his voice steady as he sought to reassure the Chancellor. "Of course I will not harbor ill feelings towards you for your words. All they have done is reveal a deep concern for Anakin." A chime sounded and Obi-Wan pulled his comlink out of his pocket. "Yes?"

"_Master Kenobi, your presence is required at the Temple_."

"I am on my way, Master Windu," he replied, shutting it. "If you will excuse me, Chancellor? I am afraid that duty calls." _And about time_, he thought.

"Of course." He rose and walked with him to the door. "Thank you for coming to talk with me and taking the time to relieve my concerns."

"It was no trouble at all, sir. I was happy to do so," he replied and walked away. With measured steps, he walked out into the daylight. Only then did he let out his relieved sigh.

What he wouldn't give for a bath for the stench of duplicity and hypocrisy clung tightly to his skin and he wished to be rid of it.

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After talking with the Council, Obi-Wan called Bail's office. "Would you care to go out for a bite to eat?" he asked, wanting to get out of the Temple for a while. But not wanting it so badly that he wanted to go back into the Senate.

"_Sure_," he answered, correctly interpreting his expression. He knew he shouldn't leave, there might be some important business he had to vote on. But he trusted that Mon Mothma would call him if there was. Besides, Obi-Wan came through for him myriads of times, often at his own expense. How could he call himself his friend if he wasn't willing to do the same thing? "_Dex's Kitchen? Or somewhere less noisy?_"

"To be honest with you, Bail, I could care less where we eat. I just need to get away from this for a while," he sighed, rubbing his head. "This has been by far one of the most troublesome and tiring of days that I have experienced in quite some time."

"_I'll call my housekeeper. She'll put something on for us. I know that my fiancée will be delighted to see you again_," he said, realizing how tired Obi-Wan must be feeling to have revealed his feelings so easily. Usually, one had to pry it out of him using more than a few tricks.

"Is she visiting?" he asked, surprised.

"_Not until later. I just thought I might tempt you to stay for dinner as well if I promised more delightful company than myself,_" Bail admitted.

"As lovely as that sounds, I have a mission of my own to get ready for."

"_Really? Isn't this all a bit odd? Even for a Jedi_?" he asked, startled by the suddenness of the dual missions that Anakin and Obi-Wan were being sent on.

Missions that no one in the Senate knew a thing about. He knew this to be true. He had carefully questioned his many acquaintances, worried about what Obi-Wan had unintentionally revealed to him earlier. What with the possibility of an army being created to stop the Separatists, it was worrisome that the Jedi had taken an action like this, assigning missions without consulting the Senate.

"Not that kind of mission," Obi-Wan reassured him quickly. "I have been ordered to take a vacation."

Bail didn't know whether to laugh in relief. Or to allow his concern to show through. He decided to let laughter win, "_About time. I have been telling you for years that you need to take one_."

"I have," he protested.

"_Vacationing is not something that you do when not being shot at_," Bail sarcastically said. "_Or while waiting to be shot at for that matter, Obi-Wan. You do realize that this is something that you have a tendency to run across whenever you leave Coruscant. Well, actually, you also have a tendency to get shot at here. One of these days, you must show me that sign that tells people that it is okay to do so to you, my friend. I would love seeing it._"

"That is far from funny, my friend," he said repressively, though he did not deny it. How could he? It was certainly true that he found more than his share of adventure wherever he went. "And that is what I wanted to talk to you about. I wondered if you might be able to recommend a nice place to hide away on Alderaan."

"_You don't need to hide anywhere, my friend, my house is always open to you. You know that_."

"I don't wish to take advantage of you, Bail," he protested quickly. "I value our friendship to much to do such a thing."

"_You won't be. And you aren't. I promise. Besides, I doubt you would even know how to take advantage of my friendship. Give me the afternoon and your company for dinner and I will arrange everything. No one even has to know that it is you_," he laughed, recognizing the look on his face. "_I will not take no for an answer, Obi-Wan, so you might as well give in_."

"Well, when you put it that way, how can I possibly refuse?"

"_You can't. That is the point_," he said, laughing again. "_I'll see you in a few minutes I am sure. We can continue this fascinating conversation then_."

"I'm sure we will. Bail?" he asked, hesitant.

"_What_?" he asked, caught by the odd tone.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan simply replied. "For everything."

"_What are friends for?_" He accepted the file his secretary handed him, flipping it open as he watched him walk back out. Idly he wondered what this was about. All his paperwork had been taken care of earlier, anything else would've waited.

"I am quickly discovering that they are for a lot more than I ever thought," Obi-Wan observed, before hanging up.


	8. Anakin, Finding His Way

_Author's Note: We're back to Anakin, with a little Obi-Wan at the end._

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Returning to Mos Espa, Anakin sat down and ordered a drink from one of the local bars. While part of him wanted to rush off to see his mother, another part knew that he must remain. For whatever reason, the Council was giving him a chance. Obi-Wan was counting on him to act like a Jedi, not a foolish and callow youth. It was hard but he would do so. Besides, the Jedi Council had yet to tell him what his mission exactly was.

A small smile quirked his lips at the thought, may be I'm here to learn patience. His Master always said it was something he lacked. A stumbling block on his path to knighthood, one he must overcome if he was to progress on the Jedi path. That might be nice. Then again, when had the Council ever given anyone a mission just for the purpose of doing absolutely nothing?

Some sense of danger, of eyes watching him, crawled over him and he leaned back, looking about him covertly. The place seemed no different than before. It was still full of the same kind of disreputable life he'd always associated with Tatooine. Still, as much as he hated to give in to what may be irrational fear, he rose and paid for his drink before leaving.

Obi-Wan would be so proud of him for his restraint. All of his instincts urged him to hold his ground. To stand and fight, but his Master would've counseled patience. He would have reminded him of the necessity of blending in and not giving himself away just yet. There were more important things than letting one's pride rule. To listen to the Force and not encourage danger to touch him until he'd learned the face of his enemy. Not to mention, a bar was not the best place for a fight. The opponent you faced would always have the advantage.

Once clear of the most populous areas, he stretched out his senses, finding that someone was following him on feet as silent as the desert breeze. Anakin's eyes narrowed, he knew that presence. It was one that had touched his dreams all too often lately.

A Tusken raider.

Knowing there was no way he could hide from the raider, he stopped and turned, meeting the familiar yellowish eyes. Though his hand dropped instantly to his lightsaber, the Tusken continued to approach him, arms outstretched to show that he carried no weapon in his hands. He knew that meant nothing for there were ways to conceal a weapon from sight.

Stopping, he bowed low and his raspy voice spoke one word in Huttese, "Jedi."

Hiding his startled look, he nodded in acknowledgement and reached for his translator earpiece. Placing it in his ear, he waited to find out what this was all about.

"Come, Jedi. Sharad Hett wishes to see you," he spoke rapidly, recognizing the piece for what it was. Softly fading into the shadows, the raider swiftly made his way to the open desert and the eopie that waited there.

Though doubtful of his guide's honesty, Anakin followed him with a shrugging nonchalance. There was no sense in making a sense if he could help it. And he had heard of Sharad Hett, a Jedi who had left the order to serve his people. The Masters of the Order had spoken of him with faintly damning praise. Mounting with reluctance, he grimaced. There was something about riding live creatures that made him uncomfortable. Obi-Wan said it was because he couldn't control them. That he had to let go of the control and trust them to lead him right.

Whatever it was, he didn't care. Riding living creatures just did not feel natural to him.

After a long while passed in silence, Anakin attempted to introduce himself. Being called Jedi, while true, would become annoying fast. He wished to find out what was going on, though he honestly felt he was not riding into a trap. "I am Anakin Skywalker," he started to say. Sand whistled and stung his face, cutting him off as he choked on it. Cursing the desertous planet he hated so much as he did so, he covered his face like with the cloth the raider passed back to him.

"Bob," the Tusken introduced himself (because I'm too tired to come up with a GFFA compatible name for him). "You saved me once. Now, I will help you."

"What?" he started but stopped, startled by the faint memory that teased his senses.

_Threepio and he had just finished dealing with the Jawas, appropriating some droids for Watto and a few parts he had acquired for himself. They were walking back towards Mos Espa when Anakin felt something odd tickling his senses. Curiously, he turned towards it and tried to figure out what it was that seemed so…out of place on the dunes that stretched out._

"_Master Ani, what are looking at?" C-3PO asked, turning when the young boy had slowed down. His gaze was off in the distance, focusing on something that only he could see at the moment._

"_There's something over there. I can feel it," he replied, heading off towards of the dune that had the strongest oddity about it. "Let's check it out. It might be important."_

_C-3PO silently followed him, fretting a bit to himself before speaking up. He felt he had to for the closer he got, the more he recognized what they were going to see. "Master Ani, I do not think this is wise. That is a Tusken raider, not a person we wish to be associated with. For all we know, there could be more waiting beyond those dunes. We could be walking into a trap."_

"_I don't sense anyone else. He's hurt," Anakin pointed out, not deterred at all. "Don't be such a coward. It would be wrong to leave him here. Mom would be disappointed in me if I just walked away."_

Anakin shook his head, he had not thought about that in years. "What do you mean? Save me? Save me from what?"

"Sharad Hett will explain all, Jedi," he said, turning east. As they turned away from the suns, a chill wind picked up and covered their tracks. They went on, heading into the gloomy chill of the quickly approaching night.

Anakin didn't like this, not one bit. Not only was he being asked to trust this raider-something that was difficult with the dreams clouding his thoughts-he was riding beyond the confines of what he knew. The city of Mos Espa glowed in the sand, a relative haven of safety submerged in corruption. At some point, he drifted off to sleep, trusting to the Force that all would be well even as he cursed his stupidity.

Yet, the rocking motions of the eopie soothed him. The cessation of that motion awoke him and he blinked, wiping away the sand that had landed on his lashes, looking about himself as he straightened up. He had never seen any other dwelling place on Tatooine other than cities and the Jawas traveling caravan, he was curious about this place.

Circular tents pocketed the landscape. Tusken women sat around fires, doing the various works that allowed for the smooth continuation of their daily lives. A few children stopped playing, watching as they started to move through them and dismounted near one of the larger tents. Anakin winced as he moved, hating the pull of muscles that were unused to such exertions.

As they approached the front of the tent, he felt the presence of Force users. It was not as strong as those he'd meet on Coruscant but it resonated with him, becoming two distinctive individuals. The tent flap flung open and a Tusken, dressed in slightly richer clothes than the others stood there, taking his measure carefully. This, then, would be Sharad Hett. His Force signature was unique, distinctive, flavored as it was with the sand and heat of Tatooine.

"I am Sharad Hett, Jedi Skywalker." He bowed low to him, speaking basic. "You will not that translator piece here. Please, come in. I imagine you are weary but perhaps you will indulge me for a while."

"I would rather come to the point," he said, though he passed in front of him willingly enough. "I did not come for a social call. The Jedi Council sent me here."

"Did they tell you why?" a cultured voice asked. A woman rose from the shadows, robed in black, she gracefully moved to stand before him. Her gaze was critical as she studied him.

"No. I received my mission from my Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi," he said, feeling out her signature as well. It was more hidden then any he'd ever come across before, which puzzled him. What reason would a Jedi have to hide among friends? "And you are?"

"I am called the Dark Woman for I have given up everything to be a true servant of the Force."

Anakin bowed, shocked respect written on his face. "Master Kenobi speaks well of you."

"Master Kenobi should only speak of that which he knows," she coldly uttered, moving away. "Slaying a Sith does not make a true Jedi. He is a fool sending you here alone."

"My Master is no fool. He is one of the greatest Jedi, one the wisest," he shot back, stung. "You shouldn't speak of him like that because you don't know him."

"I know enough to know that he does not truly know what to do with you, Chosen One. He does not have an understanding of what you are. Of the potentiality that lies within you. He should never have become a Jedi. If not for Master Jinn's unfortunate predilection for taking up lame ducks, he would be where he should be-Bandomeer," she coolly finished.

Anakin was incensed. "I didn't come here to listen to this kind of talk. I don't take it from the Supreme Chancellor. I am certainly not going to take it from you."

"Why? You've often thought that Qui-Gon should've been your Master," she pointed out. "You know that another would do better by you, Chosen One."

"Another would only see a title," he said quietly. "That is all they would see of me. While Master Kenobi does not always know what is right, he sees me. He does not see "The Chosen One". He sees Anakin Skywalker, his Padawan and friend. He may not be perfect, but he's mine."

"If you are quite finished, perhaps we can get to the matter which has brought us together," Sharad Hett finally spoke up, looking at them sternly. "Please, sit beside us, Padawan Skywalker. Tell me, has the Jedi Council spoken to you about the purpose of behind the mission?"

"No. I was told that my information would come on a need to know basis. Any kind of early information may be compromised."

"They send us an uniformed boy to do this job. A job this important-and we get you. A naïve child. What could they be thinking back there on Coruscant?" the Dark Woman muttered.

"I have had just about enough of you. If you don't want my help, I'm not going to force it upon you. If you decide that the Council was right to send me, I will be at the Lars' homestead with my mother. It is far on the outskirts of Mos Eisley." Anakin stood up and walked out, seething. Seeing Bob, he asked if he would allow him to take an eopie back to Mos Espa.

"It is dangerous to travel now. I will take you back in the morning. For now, I welcome you to my home." Bob lead him to one of the tents along the outer rim of the encircled tents. "As a warrior, it is best that I am placed out here," he explained, noting the questioning look on Anakin's face.

"I see. You have no family?" he asked, noticing that there was a lack of many life signs in the tent. He had noticed that other warriors had wives and children with them.

"I have a companion who is away currently. First, to find a new location for us to dwell for our people have earned the displeasure of Gardulla the Hutt," he explained. "Sit and eat, then you will sleep on the matt. Morning comes quickly to these parts."

"I remember," he murmured, unhappily recalling the very early mornings he'd endured when he lived here. Looking at the food in trepidation, he didn't know what to do. After years of bland Temple food, he didn't think he could handle the spices of Tatooine food. Still, he hadn't eaten since that morning and it did smell wonderful.

Bob stood, waiting for him to begin. "I am afraid that you will it tamer than normal food found here," he said, finally realizing why he was so reluctant to partake of the meal. It had been his intent to sooth any worries the young man had.

Anakin nodded, thanking him. Giving into his hunger, he ate up. Once the repast had finished, he tried to help clean up. Bob would not allow it. "We do not put our guests to work. Rest. I have to stand guard. I will not disturb you when I return."

It did not take Anakin long to settle down to sleep for all his uneasiness in staying in an unfamiliar location without his Master's comforting presence. He missed his warmth and the reliable sound of his breathing. He wondered if Obi-Wan missed him and smiled sadly, trying to ignore the Dark Woman's words. The harsh memories they brought to mind. His Master probably hadn't even noticed that he was missing. For all their deepening bond, there was still something separating them. As tears rolled silently down his cheeks, he rolled over and shut out such thoughts.

_Sharp and clear, the picture formed of the raiders, tinged with new knowledge of them. Riding in their midst, they turned towards the stark, flat land surrounding the modest farm. Everything was the same, peaceful and happy as they celebrated the unity of two lives becoming one. Anakin knew what was going to happen next. He couldn't force the scream of warning past his clogging throat._

_It was going to happen again. There seemed to be no way to stop it. No way to avoid seeing the attack happening again. Suddenly, he was jolted out of the inertia of the moment by a touch_.

Quickly, his saber was in his hand. Igniting it, he nearly sliced off the hand shaking him. Opening his eyes, he rolled over and stared at Bob, horrified by what he had almost done. "I'm sorry."

"It was my error, Jedi," he said, warily watching him from the corner he'd retreated to. "I should have known better than to awaken you by touch. Yet, I could not allow you to continue to suffer. What is wrong?"

"Dreams," he groaned, burying his head in his hands. "I have to go. Now. They are getting worse."

Bob was silent for a time before he nodded. "Let us go before the rest of the camp stirs."

Pulling on his boots, he rose and followed him, covering his face as he did so, remembering yesterday's ride clearly. Once clear of the camp, Bob gave the eopie his head and let him set the pace. The ride was silent, punctuated occasionally with talk of his dream. Reaching his ship, he sensed it out and noticed instantly that it was unharmed.

Bob read his thoughts. "It has been watched ever since your arrival on the orders of Sharad Hett."

"Thank him for me," Anakin said as he dismounted. Unwrapping the cloth, he tried to hand it back but the offer was refused.

"You may need it in days to come, Jedi," he explained, riding off into the rising suns.

Anakin watched as the flat lands filled with four or five Tuskens, all of whom followed Bob. Pocketing it, he entered the ship and checked to see if the Council had called. Shaking his head when there was nothing, he decided to do exactly what he said he would. He would visit his mom.

After all, that was why he'd left Coruscant.

Before he took off, he spared a thought for Obi-Wan and Padme, hoping the two were all right. It wasn't that he didn't trust his Master, he just worried that something would happen to him now that his Padawan wasn't there to guard his back. Flying over the vastness of the desert, he shook his head, disgusted that the clouds he saw were from dust, not rain. It was a shame that those who lived here would never experience the variety of life that existed. They would never discover the wonderful fear that came from a rainstorm.

Of course, he hadn't been too fond of rain in the beginning. There was something almost frightening about it.

_Qui-Gon had left hours ago and Anakin was bored out of his mind. All he could do was sit or walk the length of the room. With his relocation to the Jedi Temple, he had left the only friends he'd made in this strange new world he wanted to be a part of. Obi-Wan was out on the terrace, meditating. And he had no intention of disturbing him. The Jedi did not seem to like him for some reason-and he didn't understand that._

_As far as he knew, he hadn't done anything wrong. Unless…a sharp and harsh light flashed across the skyline, shattering his thoughts. A blaring sound, piercing in its intensity slammed into his hearing and he jumped back, terrified. He'd never seen anything like it. The sky suddenly opened up and huge drops of water feel, splashing the ground in a heavy downpour._

_Frozen, he could only stand there, allowing the sights and sounds to inundate his senses. "Obi-Wan," he suddenly remembered, moving towards the door. He was out in that hellish whatever it was. If something happened to him, Master Jinn would be sad. Opening it up, he froze again when the light flashed so close to him, tingles ran up his arms. The crashing sound came louder for it was closer._

_Turning around upon hearing the door open, an irritated voice snapped, "What is it?" Obi-Wan regretted it when he saw the stricken look on the boy's face in the flash of lightening. As a Jedi, he knew better than to take out his frustrations on another. But the boy irritated him. "Yes? Has something happened?"_

_There was no answer and he stepped closer, "Are you all right?" he asked, wincing as a peal of thunder rang out close to his ear. This storm was more violent than any he could ever remember hitting Coruscant. "Oof!" He let out the breath suddenly, feeling the boy hit him._

"_You're shaking," he exclaimed, drawing his cloak about the boy quickly. Lightening flashed again and the boy's grip tightened. Obi-Wan searched for the boy's name, "Anakin, this is just a rainstorm with thunder and lightening. It can't really hurt you, there are several devices in place to prevent such an occurrence."_

_Anakin didn't say anything and he sighed, a little miffed that he didn't believe him. "I suppose for a desert rat this is all upsetting." Frightening is more like it but he had enough sense to keep that thought quite. In this moment, it didn't take much to put himself in Anakin's place. There was no way he would've admitted to having such a ridiculous fear to anyone. Why should this boy? "Let's get you inside and dry you off, desert rat."_

"_Not a rat," he muttered, burrowing into the warmth of the embrace. He found it comforting to be held so protectively. It made the rain seem less frightening. He thought it possible that Obi-Wan didn't dislike him as much as he'd previously thought. He wasn't pushing him away. In fact, he had brought him in closer. There was something familiar about the embrace…as if he'd been held in these arms before. But that was impossible._

_Wasn't it?_

"_You look like one," he dryly replied._

"_Do not," he angrily denied._

"_Have you looked in a mirror lately?"_

_Anakin pulled back to glare at him, trying to figure out what he meant._

"_You do know what a mirror is, right?"_

"_Of course I do," he crossly spoke._

"_Come inside before you both get colds," Qui-Gon said. "Padawan, I am surprised at your behavior. You should know better than to stay out in the rain. And to encourage that behavior in Anakin is thoughtless and irresponsible. I thought better of you."_

"_I'm sorry, Master," Obi-Wan murmured, flushing as he guided Anakin inside, keeping the boy in his robe._

"_I am not the one you owe the apology to, Padawan," he sternly said._

"_Forgive me, Anakin. I should not have been so careless with your health," he said, letting him go once they had entered the warm apartment._

_Anakin shivered, feeling the chill in his withdrawal keenly and mourned it. This was not what he wanted. Not knowing what else to say, he nodded and watched him walk into his room. The door closed, effectively shutting him out of his life. He grieved the loss and almost missed Qui-Gon speaking to him._

"_Anakin, let's get you changed and then see about getting some food. Obi-Wan will be fine until we get back."_

_Though doubtful of his words, Anakin followed him out the door._

Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head as he returned to reality. As he watched the fall of the rain, well remembering his hurt that day. If nothing else, it had finally made him aware of how ready Master Jinn had been to get rid of him and take on a better apprentice. One who was more like him than Obi-Wan could be.

Oh, he knew it hadn't been like that at all. Not really, for all that it had felt like it. Master Jinn and he had a wonderful relationship. But his Master had been the type of man who was driven to find something more than what contended the Jedi.

The rain continued to fall as he sat on the window bench, staring out at Alderaan's beautiful night. Even in the rain, the lake was glorious, full of a serenity he had been lacking lately. Obi-Wan couldn't imagine a more peaceful place-or one that he wished to share with his annoying and comforting Padawan more. He missed the boy more than he thought possible. Ever so silently, Anakin had become an integral part of his life-one he felt closer to that anyone. Even his Master had never been as dear to him, as close.

The vacation had not done him any good for he was spending most of it worrying about Anakin-and trying to release it into the Force was not helping. It wasn't that he didn't trust Anakin, far from it. He trusted him a bit more than he should-and he knew it. His reliance upon him as an emotional compass had burdened him unfairly-and stunted his growth.

Resting his head against the cool glass, he sighed, not liking his thoughts. He did not like this feeling that something vital to his sense of well being had been taken from him to soon. It was more than a little disconcerting.

"_That is because, my very young Padawan, you have always preferred hard facts and figures to emotions. Those things were static and could not hurt you."_

A mocking grin crossed his face, hearing the familiar loving exasperation in the smooth cadence. The words rang with a clear cut honesty that saw to the heart of him, Qui-Gon had always done so. Qui-Gon would say things that he needed to hear-regardless of his own opinion on that. They had often balanced each other out, his stubborn logic to Qui-Gon's emotional sight. His future based thinking countered his Master's present minded thinking, with the result that they were able to find a solution that worked not only for the moment but would continue to work on down the road.

One of the few things that had really frustrated Qui-Gon was Obi-Wan's reliance upon his own strength. And he admitted that he had often found it hard to just trust in the Force the way Anakin and his Master had been able to. Obi-Wan was well aware that he'd become a Knight of the Order because he had let go of himself and trusted the Force to pull him through.

Still, they worked with a kind of synchrony he had rarely seen in another pairing.

In fact, it reminded him of something that had been steadily developing between him and…"Anakin," he breathed the name out loud on a whisper of sound. The similarities between his Master and Anakin had never been so eerily apparent to him. He knew what his Master had been capable of and how Qui-Gon all too often let his own inclinations rule him. Even if things worked out, Obi-Wan had worried whenever he went off on his own.

For the first time, he doubted the wisdom of the Council in sending Anakin out-and to Tatooine-without aid. Had they condemned him to failure?

His trust in Anakin was not in question. Many times in the past, it was his Padawan's judgment he deferred to. He had often overlooked his more impulsive bursts of passion for he had seen how that ability to feel things deeply had helped him. Though it was contrary to everything Obi-Wan knew, that ability was Anakin's greatest strength.

It was also his greatest weakness for Anakin would not learn restraint no matter what. He could see no reason for it. As a result, Obi-Wan served as his restraint.

_Great_, he thought despondently. _Yet more ways in which I have spectacularly failed my Padawan_.

"_Well, I would not say failed, my Padawan. More like, you have placed an unhealthy burden upon him that you did nothing to counteract," Qui-Gon said. "And you have made an effort to rectify that mistake_."

"Of course you would, all seeing one," he muttered. "Tell me, Master, did you have anything to do with this mission?"

"_It is possible," the reply was teasing. But there was an undercurrent Obi-Wan couldn't place_.

"That's what I thought for it has your touch, oh, meddlesome Master of mine," Obi-Wan complained, focusing on the rain. He needed it to ground him in the present. This conversation with his Master was just a bit too surreal for his taste. "Tell me, didn't you think that my life was complicated enough?"

"_No. I actually think that it could be a great deal more complicated," he retorted, coming closer. Obi-Wan knew if he looked up, he would see the familiar look of mixed sternness and love. "As for Anakin, someone had to do something. The Jedi Council was making a mess out of it-and you weren't helping any_."

"And I suppose you think some vague confession of ambiguous love will fix it?" he skeptically asked. "Forgive me for my extreme disbelief over your naivety."

"_Why_?"

"What?" Whatever he'd been about to say was lost for he could not understand the question under the circumstances.

"_I asked why," he obligingly repeated, his soothing cadence softening the tenor of the words. "Why would I forgive you for speaking your mind and the truth? To repair what damage has been wrought will take more than mere words, Obi-Wan, you are right to see that. It will take hard work. It will mean accepting Anakin as he is, not as you wish him to be. That you will continue to love him even if he falls into darkness. Can you do this whereas I know I could not? Is your love for him real? Or were they words that you spoke because you felt they needed to be said_?"

"I do try not to say anything that I can't live with," he dryly replied. Finally pushing away to stand and pace the room. This was not a conversation he wanted to have right now-even if he needed it.

"_Padawan," Qui-Gon sternly reproved him, "That is not what I asked you_."

Frustrated, for he was not sure what Qui-Gon wanted of him. That had always been a trial for him for he had never known were he stood with his Master, something he had tried to avoid with Anakin. Slouching against the wall at last, unconsciously mimicking Anakin, he wondered what he would think if he saw him now. Thinking for a while, he slowly acknowledged that he did not know for sure why he had said it. It was something that troubled him for he had never felt the need to speak such words before-to anyone. "It is a fair question that I find myself unable to answer, Master. I shall meditate upon it."

"_Not all answers are found in meditation," he replied with exasperated affection. "Still, if it is the only way for you to see what you must then I shall say no more on the matter._"

"You were always to content to live in the moment," he shook his head, laughing at their old banter. His eyes opened to rest upon his spectral Master and he smiled, surprised to see a sad one in reply.

"_And you were too focused on the future, you rarely lived in the moment. You rarely paid attention to the lives about you_."

Though the scolding was known to him, it was Qui-Gon's expression he responded to. It was one he'd never thought to see on his Master's face-ever. "What is wrong, Master?" he asked, wanting to comfort him.

_The answer was long in coming, making it all the more frightening when he finally heard it. "I fear that I have misjudged the situation on Tatooine. Anakin will need your aid. When he calls, you must go to him_."

"I cannot interfere with his Jedi Trial, even you must agree on that."

"_If you do not, he will falter. I am afraid that he will fall into a pit he hasn't the strength to pull himself free from for he will not want to_."

Obi-Wan shivered in the stillness, part comforted to know that his Master was watching over them. But mostly distressed by the words he spoke. The Force had provided Qui-Gon to help guide Obi-Wan through the difficult process of letting go of the past. To help him figure out what he knew and what he must do with that knowledge he'd been granted. The counsel bothered him for it seemed to coax him down the path of defiance Qui-Gon effortlessly walked.

And he didn't think he could do that, he wasn't made that way.

Yet, he knew he loved Anakin. Doing so had come upon him quite naturally over their years together he hadn't realized it. It was as effortless to him as breathing, as being alive. Anakin was not an obligation not a promise made to a dying man to ease his way into the Force. The love they felt was a part of who they were as teacher and student.

But it was more than that, so much more that Obi-Wan knew he needed to trust in this change, whatever it may be. It was time to let go of his perception of what the Jedi were about and put his faith in what he and Anakin had become together. It was hard for him, even now, to blindly trust what he could not see. For Anakin, it was different. His Padawan always rushed into things because he trusted that the Force would save him in time.

If Anakin need him, would he strong enough to go to him?

"_Anakin_," he spoke softly, the rainstorm slowly dying down. "_Be safe, my Padawan, wherever you are. Listen to that inner voice of calm, though I hope you do not disregard your own intuition_." Somehow, he felt that if Anakin could hear him, he would take strength their bond and disprove the words of gloom Qui-Gon had spoken.

For all the fear that crept into his heart, he had to believe that it was enough.


	9. Anakin and Obi Wan, Connecting?

_Author's Note: This is just a tiny update. I promise there is a much bigger one coming later on. This is just to let everyone know that I am still alive and interested in this tale. I have yet to get me a word program that works with windows 98-and cannot upgrade to XP. If anyone knows where I can get a hold of office 98 or 2000, that would be much appreciated. Any errors in spelling/grammar/capitaliztions are all my own fault. I try to betta my own work and am not always successful. This means that things may change in this chapter later. But, after reading it over, I doubt it. I apologize in advance for any shoddy work. _

_A special thanks to Maglor the Harper, Padfoot Reincarnated, Patty, and Lea Nikkaya. Thank you all for your continued support and patience with me as I struggle to keep this story-and my other ones alive and kicking. It ain't easy, but I hope that it is worth it._

654321

Anakin flew to the homestead he knew from his dreams and made his landing just beyond a moisture evaporator. Stepping out, he made his way towards a weather beaten figure bent over something, earnestly working.

Upon sensing the presence of a life form, the figure straightened up and began to speak briskly. Though mechanized, there was a definite human quality in his voice. A sound of welcome, of gentility and grace, that was out of place in the barren and hostile land, "Hello. Welcome to the Lars' homestead. I am C-," he never finished his speech.

"Threepio?" Anakin asked, mouth hanging open slightly in shock as he recognized him. Blinking, he recovered and asked, eagerly throwing questions at him. Desperate for any word, any news about her at all. Wanting to know if she was all right before he went in to face her. "Is my mom here? Is she nearby? How is she? How are you?"

"My maker?" he asked, disbelieving. But his programing kicked in andhe answered the questions, though he was brimming with joy to see his creator once again. "I am afraid not. She is currently out with Beru Whitesun, girlfriend of your new stepbrother, Owen, the son of Cliegg Lars, your stepfather of…"

"All right, Threepio," he stopped him again. He really didn't need to hear all the details of his mother's life-at least, right now. What he really needed was to see her, to make sure that she was all right. "Is she in Mos Eisley?"

"I am afraid that is something I do not know, Master Ani," he regretfully said.

"Anakin," he absently corrected, though hearing 'Master' in connection to his name thrilled him. To hear it made his dream a reality. Soon he would be a Master in deed as well as word-and not just to the droid he had built many years ago. "I would prefer to be called Anakin. And it isn't Master Anakin, I'm not a knight yet, Threepio."

"Very well, Master Anakin," he corrected his name obligingly. "Would you like to go inside and meet Master Lars and his son? Your mother has told them so much about you that you will be welcomed with open arms for they see you as family. I know that they have waited a long time-and most anxiously-to meet you."

Reluctantly, he nodded. "You look good. Complete," he said.

"Thank you, Master Anakin. Mistress Lars completed me a year ago with help from Master Lars. He is a kind man, though his sense of humor often puzzles me."

As he talked on, Anakin listened with half an ear but was seeking out the truth with his other senses.

He knew that he needed to learn what kind of person his mother would marry-and he wanted to meet him without his mother there. If he didn't like him, he knew it would pain his mother deeply. And there was a small part of him that wanted to know the story of their courtship. How, he wondered, was it possible for a moisture farmer to free his mom from Watto when a Jedi Master could not?

As he followed Threepio into the house, he sensed the joy and laughter that colored the place. He could feel of his mother's happiness and contentment in this life that she had found. It echoed in the very stones of the house. Though it did not appeal to him, she had found it gratifying.

Anakin looked about, seeing Cliegg walk towards them, drying off his hands. The young man prepared himself for disdain, for suspicion about him. For he was an unknown element, the child of an unknown father.

He was fully prepared to dislike him.

To hate him for taking his place in his mother's heart-but his honest welcome, the genuine smile of affection and his jocularity sent those feelings slinking off into a corner. Shame filled him for his thoughts.

No, he wasn't an exciting man who had an eye on adventure, but he was a good, hard working man. Cliegg Lars was an honest man.

And his obvious love for Shmi opened up Anakin's heart to receive him gladly.

Sitting back in the cozy kitchen, enjoying a cup of milk, he listened to Cliegg speak of the past. Listened hungrily as he spoke of his mom, of how they had met. How she and he had grown closer-and how he had felt hearing about Anakin.

"You've never been far from her thoughts or her heart. Through her, I have come to know you and hope that you will not mind when I tell you that I have always thought of you as my son," he finished, looking up.

Glancing over his shoulder, his hand paused and began to shake. There in the doorway was his mother, her face flushed from the heat of the day and her exertions. Just beyond her was another woman-he vaguely recalled that Threepio had called her Beru.

His eyes were all for his mom and he watched, with a twinge of something undefined as Cliegg embraced her. Of course, he was happy for her. How could he not be? It was obvious that she was loved, accepted. Yet…this was his mother and watching them two of them kiss was just weird. He'd never thought of his mother as someone who had needs like that.

Loneliness filled him as they stood, embraced in their own little world.

The realization of what it meant hit him and nearly brought tears to his eyes.

As much as he loved her, he was no longer the only one in her heart. She had found others to love, to care for. And he was angry at her for it-and angry at himself for feeling that way.

"Shmi, there is someone whose come a long way to see you," Cliegg gruffly said, stepping away from her and gesturing towards the table.

Anakin shakily stood up, turning to fully face her. The light framed him as he walked a few steps closer, stopping to let her study him. Her face was puckered up in confusion as she studied him. He trembled, holding himself still with effort.

Part of him wanted to bolt from the room and run back to Coruscant. Back to the world of Obi-Wan, enjoy his company and have him hold him, keeping his fears at bay. To stand once more in his reassuring presence, letting his Master handle all of the frightening details that haunted him.

But the rest of him wanted to stay, the little boy he'd been trembled even more and waited, hoping for a kind word. Desperately hungry for his mother to remember him, he held steady and waited, wanting for nothing more than for her to embrace him in her sheltering, all encompassing love.

What seemed like an eternity passed in seconds as her brown eyes took in the tall young man who stood before her, waiting. A little nervous shifting was the only sign that he felt anything. Shmi felt like she knew should know him-and not just because it seemed like those in the room felt she should.

It was the eyes, she realized as she met them. She knew those eyes. "Ani?" she tentatively whispered, shakily taking a step forward.

A fierce joy swept through her, blotting out the hole in her heart when he smiled his sweet smile at her.

"ANI! How I've missed you!" Her words were chocked out through a rapidly clogging throat as she fought off tears, rushing into his open arms. He swept her up tightly, making up for the long absence from each other in an instant.

"Mom." It was all he could say as he held her to him, feeling almost home again. All he needed was for Obi-Wan to be there, a faintly confused and disapproving look on his face, then everything would be all right.

The next few days passed in an almost bliss like fashion. In Cliegg, he found a father who may not have understood him, but accepted him-even when it seemed as though he was afraid of him. Anakin didn't blame him. Even in this enlightened age, those who were called Jedi were feared for the abilities they had.

He got to know Owen and Beru-and slightly envy their ability to love freely. It wasn't that he wanted to settle down and marry, raise a family while he held down a steady job-or raise the kids if his wife wanted to work outside the home, he knew he didn't have the temperment for such a life. But he did envy the way they could express themselves. The way they could say what they felt without fear of upbraiding.

Through it all, he never heard a word from the Jedi Council. Therefore, he allowed himself to let go. Allowed himself to forget why they had sent him. Anakin could almost make himself forget about his dreams-except they came back every night. And during the day, he could see signs of the Tusken raiders' drawing ever nearer.

Finally, after one particularly vicious dream, he decided that he needed help. With careful steps, he crept out of the house and towards his ship, thankful that he had strengthened the perimeter shielding. Thankful that Cliegg had trusted him enough to let him do so, for it had been a risky thing to do. Anything could have gone wrong.

Dialing up a familiar number, he waited, somewhat impatiently for it to be answered.

"Anakin?" A sleep tousled Obi-Wan asked him, instantly alert. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry, Master. I didn't mean to…Come to Tatooine?" he suddenly asked, watching his face. "Please? I need you." Anakin watched as Obi-Wan struggled with his simple request and sighed, wondering why he'd even tried.

But something in his Master's face caught his eye. "I'll be there as soon as I can," he finally decided. "Where are you?"

"On a moisture farm on the outskirts of Mos Eisley, near the Judland Wastes," he said faintly. "Master Obi-Wan?"

"Yes, Anakin? What is it?"

"Thank you," he said, shocked but pleased that he would come.

Obi-Wan smiled suddenly, Anakin felt warmth fill him. An unusual amount of affection flowed his way, communicated through their bond. And he wondered if it was his doing-or Obi-Wan's. "Thank you for asking me, my Padawan. Get some rest. I am coming."

"Yes, Master." Secure in the knowledge that Obi-Wan would soon be with him, he turned of the communicator and curled up, suddenly very tired. Safe in the ship, and warmed by the bond he shared with Obi-Wan, he slept deeply and was not troubled.

Shmi entered the ship, a blanket under her arm. Smoothing back his hair, she covered him up and wondered over what she had heard. Kissing his forehead, she wondered who this mysterious Master Obi-Wan was. This stranger was obviously someone who meant a lot to Anakin.

She realized suddenly that, for all their talks, she knew next to nothing about his new life. Straightening up, she thought about it, curious to know about it. There were so many things she wanted to know, wanted to understand. They had to talk, she decided.

Quickly walking back to the house, she briskly rubbed her arms to ward off the chill in the air. Her face warmed as she saw Cliegg in the doorway, a knowing look on his face. His arms opened to receive her and she walked in, snuggling into his hearty embrace.

"How is your boy?" he asked, rubbing her shivering body.

"Ani's sleeping," she replied, resting her head on his shoulder. "I think we should prepare his room for another person. He's invited his Master to come. Something's troubling him."

"Aye, I could tell."

"It won't be any trouble, will it?" she asked, concerned by the fact that her son had just asked someone to come-and had not consulted either of them.

Shaking his head, he simply said. "This is Anakin's home to. I look forward to meeting this Master Jinn you've told me of. I have much to thank him for."

Shmi looked up at him, a pensive look in her eyes. Something inside told her that she would not be seeing Qui-Gon Jinn again, but she couldn't bring herself to quite believe it. "It isn't Master Jinn who's coming. It is someone I've never met or even heard of, a Master Obi-Wan."

"Well, whoever he is, he'll find a warm welcome here. Shmi, I'm sure he's a good man. Your son trusts him and I have not seen any sign that he is a bad judge of character," he reassured her.

"I know. It's just that I feel…unsure as I never felt when I met Qui-Gon. Though I did not know him, I never felt awkward, for all that I was a slave. But now…I don't know. There is so much I don't know about his life-and now I am going to meet the man who shaped him into the young man I see before me now. I just don't know what to do," she admitted softly.

"Take time tomorrow and ask," he advised, moving them both inside. "Nothing will be accomplished by avoiding the situation. We can handle things here."

"If you're sure," she hesitated, biting her lip. As much as she wanted to, there were things that needed doing around the house. It wouldn't be right to just take off, leaving them to do the work alone.

She just couldn't abandon them.

"Though I don't know how we survived without you for all of these years, we did manage before. Somehow, I'm sure that we'll muddle through without your help for one day. Now, let's get back into bed. Tomorrow will be busy-for all of us," he teased her.

"I should just let you sleep out here for that comment," she threatened, a smile breaking out on her face. "But I won't-this time. You're much to warm to waste on the couch."

654321

Obi-Wan surfaced from the water, pushing back his wet hair and blinked into the bright light. Something had disturbed him and he looked over to the shoreline, seeing someone there. He did not know who it was-and wasn't entirely sure that he had been seen. With this thought in mind, he went to dive back under the water. After a week of solitude, with occasional appearances from his Master, he had not seen anyone.

"Master Kenobi?" an aristocratic voice echoed over the water. "Please, I have a message for you from my mistress, Lady Organa."

With a sigh, he swam towards the shore and climbed out, noting that she averted her head to give him some privacy. Shrugging, he wrapped a towel about himself, rubbing himself briskly to ward off the chill. Turning, he inclined his head towards the diminutive blonde. "What is this message, Miss?"

"Kynthia," she replied, bowing.

"Miss Kynthia," he said.

"My Mistress wishes your presence at dinner tonight. She has been most displeased that you have been here for many days and have not paid a visit to her. If you wish to remain in her good graces, you would do well to come. Senator Organa and his fiancée will be in attendance, as well as Senator Amidala."

Hiding a grimace a the thought of Amidala, he knew that seeing her was not something he wished. Nevertheless, he knew he should attend. If for no other reason than he did not wish to upset Lady Organa. He liked her. "Tell your Mistress that I shall be there for I have no wish to offend her."

"Dinner is at eight. I would come around seven." The way she said it left Obi-Wan in no doubt that is was not a request.

Promptly at six-thirty, for he did not think it would be wise to take any chances, Obi-Wan arrived. Dressed in his Jedi robes, he found he was grateful for the formal look they always had. As annoying as they tended to be to put on, they were presentable for any occasion. Forcing a smile, he greeted a few of the senators gathered in the parlor.

It was late when Obi-Wan was able to escape the party.

And that was only because Bail had distracted his mother with talk of the wedding. Breathing a sigh of relief as the door closed behind him, he smiled slightly. Though ashamed of himself, he was happy that he had managed to avoid Amidala all ever. It wasn't that he didn't like her, she just asked questions he couldn't answer.

Undressing, he fell into the bed, relieved. His private comlink went off, waking him instantly from a sound sleep.

Reaching over with a yawn, he flicked it on, startled into full awareness upon seeing…"Anakin?" he asked, concern coming to the front. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry, Master. I didn't mean to…come to Tatooine?" he suddenly asked. Obi-Wan was struck by the lost, little boy sound he heard. "Please. I need you."

Obi-Wan studied him, his mind flashing back to Qui-Gon's words, that Anakin would need him. His options were few-and Anakin's own question haunted him…'_if it had been Qui-Gon, could you turn aside_?'-only he replaced it with Anakin.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," he finally said. "Where are you?"

The fierce joy that replaced the shock in Anakin's eyes eased his guilty conscience at going against everything he ever knew. "On a moisture farm on the outskirts of Mos Eisley, near the Jundland Wastes. Master Obi-Wan?"

"Yes, Anakin? What is it?"

"Thank you," he said.

Obi-Wan felt the waves of gratitude, the look of pure joy dance in his friend's eyes, and smiled suddenly. For the first time, he felt…all right about going against the dictates of the Jedi Council. "Thank you for asking me, my Padawan. Get some rest. I am coming."

"Yes, Master."

Fully awake and aware in light of his decision, Obi-Wan found that he could not rest.

There was an intense need to be up, to be doing something now that he had made this decision. A fear that he might change his mind if he did not move forward. With a sigh, he flicked on the light and rose, thinking and planning his next moves.

From there it was a simple matter of thought becoming action. He had always been a man who could make a plan and then implement it without care, for he was always cautious when he planned anyhting. Almost fatalistically so, as Anakin was wont to complain. Within an hour of the call, Obi-Wan was packed, his good-byes and the explanation for his leaving written, his ship was fueled and ready to go. Now, he was only waiting for clearance.

"Obi-Wan, do you think this is wise?" Bail asked, suddenly appearing in his ship.

"No," he answered, not really surprised to hear from him.

He had known that his leave taking would be reported-especially when it was so abrupt and mysterious. What he hadn't expected was that the senator would show up.

The most he had expected was a call asking what he was doing.

This visit was a surprise-both a welcome one and an unwanted one. "I just know that Anakin needs me with him. He asked me to come. For all the reputation he has gained, you don't know Anakin, Bail. He doesn't asked for help. He just doesn't. The fact that he did worries me. It may not be wise but I believe that it is the right thing to do. If only for my own piece of mind."

"Then I wish you luck," Bail sighed. "Once I leave, you will gain clearance."

"Thank you," Obi-Wan smiled.

"I have a feeling that you will wish that I had stopped you from going in a few weeks," he said. "Nevertheless, I hope you are met with success."

"Again, I thank you. If the Council calls, tell them what happened." He hesitated, before continuing, "If the Chancellor asks about anything at all, direct him towards the Council. I don't want to put you in a position where you must lie to him, which is why I will not tell you where I am going now. I don't want him to know where I have gone without the Council being notified. They should be the ones to tell him."

"Do you honestly think he would harm you?" He was surprised by the request-and what it implied. Of course, he had known that there was some tension between the Chancellor and Obi-Wan but had always thought it harmless. Here Obi-Wan seemed to be implying that there was something more sinister to the Chancellor than anyone thought.

It ran along the lines of something he and former Chancellor Vallorum had spoken of the last time they had met.

"I don't know. But I have been having some very disturbing dreams lately. They could be nothing more than my disliking him but…I would rather not take any chances. Be careful around him, Bail. There is just something about him that I do not trust in the slightest." He did not add that it felt familiar to him, like something he'd felt ten years ago-in Theed.

Bail would not understand. How could be expected to when Obi-Wan himself did not?

The senator nodded. "All right. I shall be wary of him and have all his calls forwards to me. This will not be a problem as my mother shares your opinion of him."

"And Senator Amidala?"

"I shall try to keep her from speaking of this though I make no promises. I will not stifle her voice," he warned, backing out of the ship.

"I would not ask you to. I bid you a farewell for the time being, Bail. And I thank you for asking no questions of me that I cannot in all good conscience answer." In moments, he was flying towards Tatooine, burying his worry about his Padawan under the task of flying. He knew that it would do him no good, though he couldn't stop the fear that filled his heart. Something was wrong with the whole situation.

Very wrong if Anakin was asking him to come help him out.

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_Author's Note #2: Yes, I spell Ani as Ani. I write it that way b/c it is spelled that way in the movies' closed captioning. I know in the books it's Annie, but I'm going with the movie on this. As both were approved of by George Lucas, I feel all right in doing so. And I do apologize for the double conversaton with Obi-Wan and Anakin. I wanted to show both of the pov's. I don't know if it worked out. I'll have to check it out later and see_.


	10. Anakin's Mom Has Her Say

_Author's Note and Thanks: I've got quite a few chapters posted up b/c I am moving into work for a whileand its a holiday week and whatnot. And my boss is a horse's butt. He knows that I am part time-so he schedules me to work block days with no days off in between them. Kinda like going to school-only way more demanding and less likely to get you out on time. He says that's going to be my permanent schedule-at least until my next 30 days are over. Isn't he great? (Can I kill him yet?) Thanks to Lea Nikkaya (I don't think its a problem, but there are some who do), Sherlockian Slytherin (blushes), unreasonable 1 (sorry, I don't mean to kill anyone (save my boss g) .), and Alley Parker (I agree. Not to mention, it just doesn't look right when you're dealing with a young man)._

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The next morning, Anakin and Shmi went into Mos Eisley.

Though they weren't truly alone, he welcomed the chance this was giving him.

Today would be a day for him and his mom to be together as they had not been in years. For, while he had grown to like his new family-to even care about them, he wasn't fully comfortable with them.

Yet, there was a tinge of fear to his enjoyment.

Owen had found evidence of the Tusken raiders drawing closer to them. News had already reached them that the raiders had caused some trouble for one of the other farms. With the newest dream fresh in his mind, Anakin had been torn between a desire to go-and the desire to stay behind.

Still, he had no reason to refuse and found himself driving into Mos Eisley.

Settling into one of the shaded alcoves, he sipped some surprisingly cold water and waited, wondering about the look on his mother's face. It was somewhere between hesitant and curious, as though she wasn't sure where to begin.

It seemed odd for they had been chatting quite easily until that moment.

"Who is Master Obi-Wan?" she finally asked him, deciding to just get the worst over with quickly. He might wonder how she knew of him. And she would not remain quiet if he asked for she could not keep a secret from him.

Anakin gazed off into the distance, a boisterous smile on his face as he thought about the man. This stranger she knew nothing about and wasn't sure she wanted to meet.

There was obvious affection in his voice when he answered her, facing her as he did so. "Obi-Wan Kenobi is my Master, like Master Qui-Gon had been his." He did not even think to question how she knew of him, thinking that it must have something to do with her being his mom.

"What do you mean? He's your Master?" she asked, suddenly apprehensive. Had she allowed her son to leave her just to become a slave to another person? A crueler person? Though she had known that Qui-Gon had been a Jedi Master, it had never occurred to her until that moment that it could mean something else.

Something that she hadn't thought about.

Was her Ani still a slave?

"I mean, he's my teacher," he explained quickly, knowing what she was thinking.

It was something he dealt with every day of his life.

A lifetime of slavery did not go away merely because on has escaped from the physical signs of slavery. Anakin understood this from personal experience. And while Obi-Wan had tried to help him overcome the stigma, he did not fully understand it.

Therefore, he could not truly free him.

"You see, not all Jedi become Masters, most just of them are only Jedi Knights, even if they are allowed to take on a student. A Master Jedi is one who has learned to master themselves and has become adept at the Force. I was allowed to become his Padawan Learner because he is a Master," he said.

"But what happened to Master Qui-Gon?"

His eyes closed, the memory of his Master's pain renewed in his mind. The silences between them that spoke to long and said so much so unintentionally. It echoed hollowly in the space between them still, haunting them both. "Master Jinn was killed in a fight shortly after we left Coruscant for Naboo by someone who hates the Jedi, a Sith warrior."

"How horrible," she closed her eyes and bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Master Jinn was a good man."

"Yeah, he was," he agreed, his fist clenched, remembering that time. "His death…well, it hurt Master Obi-Wan. No, actually, it absolutely devastated him. I worried over him for a long time. He's never fully recovered from the loss."

Something in the way he said it had her looking at him, concern for this unknown man in her voice. "Why?"

"I think he blames himself for not being fast enough to save him. Of not being good enough to train me. To be my Master," he replied, angered by the memory. By the cycle of self torture Obi-Wan put himself through.

Anakin was well aware of how his Master thought about himself-and it enraged him that he couldn't get him think otherwise. That he couldn't make him see just how good, how wonderful he was.

How much he needed Obi-Wan to be there for him-Obi-Wan and no other.

Shmi watched, a chill sweeping through. There was a look in his eyes-in the way he said the words-that frightened her. It didn't look or sound like her son. "Ani?" she tentatively asked, wondering what had come over him. He looked so...dark and foreboding, as though he was something else.

And she wasn't sure she like it. It spoke of darkness and torment, pain that was not escapable.

Shaking off the mood suddenly, he smiled at her, the image gone. "What?"

"Is he a good man?" she asked, not sure now that it had even happened. This was her Ani after all, not some dark creature. Trying to take her mind off of it, she started asking him questions about Obi-Wan. And once she started, she couldn't keep silent. "Does he treat you well? Are you happy with him? Is he being kind to you? Have you made any friends besides him? Does he take good care of you?"

"Mom, slow down. I will tell you anything you want to know," he quickly broke in, laughing a little. He started his tale simply, beginning with how they had actually met. How it had seemed in the beginning that Obi-Wan had not liked him very much, though he didn't understand how that could be.

As they tentatively started to talk over both trips they had taken, he found out that had not been the case at all. It had been nothing to do with him, which had relieved him. "See, I knew that I sorta liked him. He was something I wanted to be, a Jedi. And he was Master Jinn's student, so I was worried it was me," he added, shaking his head.

"What was it?" she asked, drawing some conclusions of her own about this man-seeing him as cold and unapproachable. While she wouldn't tell Anakin, she knew she wasn't going to like this Obi-Wan.

"The situation with the Sith and the queen's problems on Naboo. Master Obi-Wan didn't think that the Senate would do much for her. He doesn't have a great deal of belief in the honesty and integrity of many of the Senators," he laughed.

And, while he omitted some of the more worrisome details of his life, he held nothing else back from her. Including his own deep confusion about his feelings for Padme and the way some of the Jedi teachings made no sense to him.

"So, you are doing well with them?" she asked. Of course, she realized that he had kept back some things from her but that was to be expected. There were things she didn't want to hear about.

"I think that I am." His head quickly shook, denying his words. "No. I know that I am. I know that I am more than ready to take my trials. Others my age have taken them and done well. There have even been a few younger than me who have done so, passing the trials easily. And most of them can't do even half of what I can accomplish with little effort on my part."

"What?" she sharply asked. "What did you just say?"

Startled by her tone, he looked at her, repeating. "I said that others have taken the trials. Trials that I could pass easily because I can do more than they can. In a lot of ways, I have surpassed them. Even the Jedi Masters aren't as good as I am."

"Anakin Skywalker, I raised you better than that. You do not build yourself up by putting others down."

"But mom, it's true."

"True or not, I don't want to hear it from you. You have a gift, a tremendous gift that has given you many great opportunities to better your life. I am thankful for it. But every gift comes with a price, as well as a great deal of responsibility to others. What happened to you in that city, Ani? Your gift was given to you to help people, not to be flaunted about you in pride and arrogance as if you were a god of old come back."

Anakin shook his head, "You just don't understand."

"No, I don't. But I know this isn't you. My Ani wanted to help people for no other reason than that he could. He asked for no reward, no praise. You have grown up and changed-and some of these changes are ones I do not care for at all."

Shoulders drooping, he glanced away from her stern eyes. He didn't know what to say. His mom was disappointed in him. That was something he had not expected to hear, the Chancellor had said that such a thing wouldn't happen. That it couldn't happen, "I just want to make you proud of me."

Shmi rose and sat beside him, placing her arm about his shoulders. Pulling him into her embrace, she softly spoke, "Ani, I love you. I will always love you. I am proud of you for being true to who you are. But this pride you are showing...this is not yours, I do not like to see it."

"Chancellor Palpatine believes that I will be the most powerful Jedi ever."

"Ani, look at me," she softly commanded him. "Is it better to be a powerful Jedi or an honest and good man? A kind person who just does what is right because it is the right thing to do? Do you think Cliegg is less than you because he isn't a powerful man?"

"No," he sullenly said, looking away from her eyes. "But with power, I can change things. I can make things better. I can stop bad things from happening."

"My sweet Ani, haven't you learned yet that sometimes bad is good? You have to take what you've been given and let the rest go. Change isn't always easy, nor is it always going to be good-but changes are an important part of life. You have to learn to let go."

"But I don't want to let go, it hurts. It burns," he softly told her, knowing that she wouldn't understand what he meant.

"There is so much to life that you can't live if you hold on to things long after their time. And I do not want you to see this Palpatine again." Her voice was strangely cold.

Distant.

"Why, mom?" he asked, turning to face her again. "You and Master Kenobi both want me to stay away from him. But he's a good man, why can't you see that? I mean, look at what he's done for the Republic. What he plans to do to keep it together, to save it from breaking."

"He may be a good man, but is he honorable?" she questioned him, holding his eyes with her own. "Is he a man who values others of all walks of life? Or does he only cultivate those with power to further his own position? Does he work with all people or just those who can give him what he needs?

"Does he teach you wisdom?" she pressed him. "Or only how to hold onto what you have while seeking more power? More wealth? Does he feed you with words you need to hear? Or does he only speak that which satisfies your pride?"

"Mom," he began, stopping when her hand rose.

"I have heard much of this Chancellor Palpatine that you speak so highly of. None of it is very good. The man is a deceiver who is not helping anyone-except for himself. He ruined a good man's name with his actions, with his words. He makes a lie of the Republic with his behavior."

"Mom, that's treasonous," he said, looking about to see if anyone could hear her. He knew there were many who fanatically followed Palpatine and he feared for her sake. Zealots weren't the best kind of people to run into, to insult. They could be...extreme in their defense of their beliefs.

"I am not afraid of speaking the truth, Ani, you should not be afraid to hear it," she told him. "Life on Tatooine is hard and it has taught me much. This man is up to no good. He wears one face in public and shows another in private. I've had dreams about him. Dreams of what he truly is. Beware of him for he is not what he appears to be."

_Dreams can be hereditary, my Padawan. They are not always linked to the Jedi just because we are servants of the Force. For all that we have dedicated ourselves to walking the path the Force leads us along, the Force will use others to accomplish its work_.

Anakin had heard his Master say that the first time he'd come to him for counsel, for comfort over the dreams he'd been having. Dreams he'd had all his life. If this ability had come from his mom…"You know of the attack?" he asked, stuck by a thought, incredulous for she had done nothing to protect herself.

"Attack? What attack?" she asked, confused by this question.

"From the Tusken raiders," he replied. "I've been having dreams of them attacking for weeks now. It was the reason I decided to come find you. You haven't." This time, there was no question in his voice.

It was obvious from her look, she didn't know what he was talking about.

She shook her head, standing up. Very much like her son, she never let anything settle before turning thought into action. "We must warn the homesteaders of this. A Tusken attack is not something to ignore. CLIEGG!" Terror filled her at the thought of her husband and she took off, pushing her way through the crowd.

"MOM! Wait!" Anakin bolted after her, leaving some credits behind him. He hadn't meant to frighten her this badly.

He hadn't meant to frighten her at all.

Shmi waited in the speeder, an impatient look on her face. Her hands twitched on the controls and she tersely ordered, "Get in."

Startled by her tone-and obvious comfort behind the wheel-he did.

Before he even put on his restraints, they were tearing across the desert. Eyes wide as they turned a corner sharply, he was both exhilarated and terrified by the ride. _Is this how my Master feels every time I drive_?

"Mom, slow down!" he cautioned, feeling exactly like his Master did. His stomach dropped as they took another corner sharply. "You're going to get us both killed!"

"I know what I'm doing. Remember, Ani, I'm the one who taught you how to drive."

"The attack won't happen today," he shouted, closing his eyes as they approached another turn.

"How do you know?" she asked, easing up on her speed a little. Glancing over at him for a moment, she pulled the speeder up.

"Because I see a crowd of people when it happens. It's almost like there's a party going on. The attack happens in the early evening," he said, breathing a deep sigh of relief as she continued to moderate their speed.

He never thought he'd be so happy driving at a normal pace.

Pulling up in front of the house, they saw Cliegg standing beside Threepio. A startled look crossed his face as he recognized them.

Walking over to them, he asked, "What's going on? Has something happened? Are you all right?" he finished, surprised when Shmi hugged him tightly.

"That's what I was going to ask you," she murmured, burying her face in his neck and holding onto him. "Are you all right? Is everyone safe?"

"It's been quiet, honey. We've had no problems. Anakin? What is going on?" he asked, turning to him.

"Tusken raiders," he answered, unsure of what else to say. Sure, he liked the guy and found him to be approachable. But to tell him of his dreams? Would he even listen to him?

"What of them?" he gruffly asked. But his voice was gentle as if he sensed something of his thoughts. "Is this a Jedi thing?"

_Oh, if it were only that simple_, he thought. "A little," he hedged, wanting to trust him if only for his mom's sake. "For the past few days I have been having dreams of an attack. Until I got here, I didn't know it was your farm. I only knew that mom was in danger-and I couldn't ignore it."

"What happened?" Cliegg pushed, keeping his voice soft and kind. There was a wary light in Anakin's eyes that he recognized. He knew that he had to be careful, had to approach this situation with kindness-and not skepticism.

It was easier now than it had been in the past when he'd first heard of Shmi's dreams.

"All I know is there was a celebration of some kind, a lot of people were there. All the men and children were killed and the women were taken as prisoners," he gulped at that, his eyes going to his mom.

"What's going on?" Owen asked, Beru at his side. She smiled shyly at him, still unsure of what to make of him.

"We're going to be attacked by raiders-and the women will be taken captive," the reply was swift-with no doubt in it.

"When?"

"At a party we're having. The only thing is," Cliegg went on, thinking about it. "We don't hold parties for no reason."

Beru and Owen exchanged looks and she squeezed his hand. "Does an engagement count as a reason?"

When his dad and stepmother looked at him, Owen said,with a shrug. "I asked her to marry me-and she said yes. We were planning a small party to welcome Anakin to the family and we were going to announce it then. We had everything ready-for tomorrow."

"We'll just have to cancel it."

"No," Shmi decided suddenly.

"But…" It was a group protest, Ani's being the loudest.

"We can't live our lives in fear. Thanks to Anakin, we have been warned. I refuse to live in fear. If they come, they will find us prepared for them. Welcome to the family, Beru."

"She's right," Beru said decisively, surprising Owen before he slowly nodded. "We can't simply stop living because of them. That means they have the victory over us-whether or not they come."

Leaving Cliegg's arms, she hugged her future daughter in law. "You have no idea how long I have waited for this day to come. I was pretty sure that you were the girl for Owen when he first brought you home. Now, I know for sure. We need to make preparations for the wedding and taking care of the raiders."

"Mom," Anakin started.

"Ani, I know you want to protect me but you can't do it by stopping me from living my life. Let it go. Now, everyone get inside. We have things to do."

Anakin and Cliegg watched as they went inside. "Those upgrades of yours, are they good for an alteration?"

"I believe so. Why?"

"Could you rig them up to stun the raiders? I would prefer not to kill anybody if we can help it."

"_All life is sacred even if it seems profane to us_," he softly mused, struck by the irony of it as he now had a more personal experience with it.

"What?" Cliegg asked, startled by his words. By the wisdom and weight they carried-as though he knew what he was speaking about. He watched him, curious to know why he'd said such a thing.

He shook his head quickly, "Just something I once heard. It has no bearing on your question, Cliegg. I'm sure that I can do something, though it may end up doing more damage than good. I've never tried to modify anything like that before. I'm not sure it's even possible."

But his eyes sparkled in the harsh light as they contemplated it.

"Give it a try," Cliegg suggested. "What harm can it do?" Together, they went inside, Anakin pondering the problem.


	11. Anakin's Enemy Revealed?

Unbeknown to Anakin or his mother, someone had been watching them from the shadows the whole time they had been in Mos Eisley.

"That him?" the person asked as he was joined by his silent partner. The woman with her silent ways and unnerving stare that always knew things, things about him and his clan, about the Galaxy and the Republic and the Separatists.

It unnerved him because there was no way she could have known those kinds of secrets.

"Yup." The word fell awkwardly from her lips-but said it all.

"I thought he was supposed to be protecting that Senator?" he pointed out, not moving his head.

"He was." She agreed, stepping up to his side and watching the pair curiously.

"Then why is he here?"

"Don't know," there was a puzzled note in her voice. It didn't seem very _Jedi_ of him to neglect his duty. Then again, what did she truly know of the Jedi?

"The boss?"

"Won't know until we tell him."

"You want to tell him?" he offered, glancing at her cold profile from the corner of his eye.

"Not particularly. It isn't like we can call off the Raiders anyway."

Shrugging, he pulled out a death stick and offered her one. Nose disdainfully twitching, he retracted his offer-keeping one for himself. "Well, someone has to tell him."

"Go right ahead. I've got something else in mind." Her hand found something in her pocket and fingered it curiously. She had orders of her own-ones this man knew nothing of.

"Something?"

"Don't act like that. It won't hurt him..." her smile was feral, adding, "much."

"The boss ain't gonna like it," he pointed out, stepping back to stare at her.

"The boss ain't ever gonna find out." _Yours won't_, she thought to herself, walking off after the mother and son, keeping her mind silent, thus covering herself in the protection of the gray of life.

She had her own orders to follow. But she wanted to be sure of this one first. It wouldn't do to make another error like last time. The woman shuddered, remembering all to well the last error that had been made-the consequences of that disastrous decision. Her resolve firmed. She would _not_ make the same mistake twice.

Even if he proved to be ill-made for the job, it would be amusing to watch his pain.

Pain fed her people-and his promised to be stronger than most.

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Senator Organa and Senator Amidala boarded the ship, bound for Coruscant. The little trip had benefited them both, for the last week in session had been trying all around. This subject of the creation was tearing the Senate further apart. There had been valid arguments on both sides about whether or not to create an army.

He didn't like that he couldn't tell which argument would hold sway. It was frustrating. And troubled him deeply for his gift had often been the ability to see which was the wind was blowing. There was something going on, something more and he wished desperately that he knew what it was.

All he knew for sure was that it meant trouble for the Republic-if it even existed anymore. The closing words Padme spoke rang in his ears, "_If we create this army, what kind of message are we sending to those who wish to leave? To those who desire to stay? We are saying that we no longer value your democratic input. That your voice means nothing to us, though we say that we are a Republic, we are not listening to you anymore. By that very act, by creating an army, we would be negating their opinions, their voice._

"_We would become a dictatorship. If these governments wish to succeed from this Union, we have no right to stop them forcibly_ .

" _Our system no longer works for the Republic of this Galaxy. We must figure out what our errors are before we can hope to even try to hold this Republic together. We must fix ourselves, the problems that caused this situation to develop in the first place, before we can fix the Galactic Republic_ ."

"Are you ready for this?" he asked, sitting beside her. With his harness, he turned to her, studying her. She looked more relaxed than before.

"No," she shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid, Bail. I am afraid of what's happening to our government, to all the ideas that we were built upon. To the democracy I have dedicated my life to serving and preserving, I don't even know if it exists anymore."

"I know what you mean," he nodded, gently touching her hand. "But your closing arguments were eloquent and made several important points."

"Yes, but what are the chances that anyone actually heard me?"

"I believe that many heard you and will take them into consideration. I know that they have not left my thoughts for you are right. How can we call ourselves a democracy if we deny those we serve the right to speak for themselves?"

"I...Bail, do you think that there's something wrong with the Supreme Chancellor?" she asked suddenly, her eyes intent on the man beside her. The worry, the fear, was apparent in the way she clenched her hands together. In the way the tension vibrated off of her.

There was something that said she had wished to speak before but could not.

"I...do you want my honest opinion?" he asked, glancing up at his fiancée, wanting her input.

Breha nodded, letting him know that she would support his choice, whatever it was. Rising to walk over to sit with the others, she greeted them quietly, knowing that some would understand her move. She knew what he felt, but this opening up to Senator Amidala was something that she had no place in.

This she knew full well. She had long experience reading these things from working with her father, Bail Antilles. This confidence was for Bail and Padme alone. Later, she would discuss things with her-if the woman was open to it.

Besides, someone needed to keep the others from interfering with their discussion.

"If you wouldn't mind," Padme said, realizing that something else was indeed going on here. Why else would Breha leave them?

A part of her wanted nothing more to do with this query. After all, this had been her friend and advisor throughout her whole life. He had served her faithfully for years in the Senate while she served her tenure as the Queen of Naboo.

He was something of a grandfather to her, always there with advice. Ready to give her a helping hand or a push in the right direction. To worry over her when things went wrong. It was under his guidance and direction that she had been able to repair the damage wrought by the invasion.

But there had been a change over him ever since he entered the Chancellor's office-changes that she didn't like.

Bail hesitated, seeming to understand her thoughts. He was granting her a moment to really reconcile herself to the idea of listening to him. What he had to say might, just might, hurt or offend her.

Plus, he knew that Knight Tachi was in earshot-and while he trusted Obi-Wan, this Jedi Knight was someone he didn't know much about. What if she was felt it was her duty as a sworn servant of the Republic to report him?

Padme seemed to realize his dilemma and turned to face the Jedi, noting the carefully blank expression on her face. Having been with her for a while, she knew that it masked an interest in their conversation. Making a decision, she turned back to Bail, she said, "Later? Over dinner perhaps?"

"That would be enjoyable, thank you," he said, relieved. Perhaps he would ask Mon Mothma to join them. After all, she had stayed on Coruscant and knew more about the current situation than he did. "Would it be all right if I brought along a few friends?" he asked, wanting to let her know that the situation may be more than she wanted to get involved in.

Closing her eyes, she leaned back against the seat cushion and sighed, settling in. "Of course."

They were silent and he started rifling through his collected data pads, intent on his study. A few more sessions would be held before the vote-and his turn to speak was coming up. He knew that his words had to be as good, as eloquent as the other speakers had been.

Drifting off to the sound, she slept for a time before slowly waking up. Not knowing how much time they had been traveling, she watched him for a moment before looking about her. It was quiet and she allowed it to ease her mind, though something didn't feel right.

Seeing Master Tachi speaking quietly to one of her handmaids brought up a question she had, asking, almost casually. "Bail, where did Master Kenobi go?"

"Hmmm?" he absently asked, glancing at her. "I'm sorry. What was that?"

She giggled, "I hope you don't plan to be that inattentive to Breha after you marry her."

Flushing, he shook his head. "Of course not, Padme. I would never...you're teasing me."

"Well, you make it so easy," she retorted gaily.

"Did you need something?" he asked, putting aside his work.

"I merely asked where Master Kenobi was. I wanted to talk to him about Padawan Skywalker."

"He went to join him," he finally told her, noting the way her eyes widened and she stared at him, open mouth in shock.

"What? Is he okay? Why didn't he say anything to us? Surely he knew we'd help him," she asked, mind whirling. This wasn't what she had expected to hear at all. When she'd heard that he had left, she figured he'd gone back to Coruscant. And she wondered why he hadn't just waited to come with them.

But this was shocking news. That he'd gone after Anakin...

This was Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. He just didn't do that kind of thing.

He just didn't.

The implications of his actions were astounding. And she didn't want to think about that right now. So, she wouldn't. The ideas that came to mind were just to unpleasant to be born.

Part of her was angry that she'd been proven right. Ani hadn't been ready for this chance. He was to young, to untried-to impatient, she added-to be out on his own. Though he was twenty, there were things he just wasn't ready for yet. Things he didn't know anything of-and didn't seem to want to learn.

And the other half of her was bitterly disappointed because she knew what being a Jedi Knight meant to Anakin. It meant that he had a real say in his life. More importantly, he would be able to go to Tatooine and help him mother, free her from slavery.

He was going to be crushed.

"As far as I know, Padawan Skywalker is all right. He is the one you were asking about, right?" he asked, a slight reproach in his voice.

Padme flushed, lowering her head. "Yes. I figured Master Kenobi was all right because we saw him last night. He wouldn't have come if he was unwell."

"Yes," he dryly said, "Because he isn't worried about offending my mother."

She laughed with him, thinking about his mother. Lady Organa was a most unusual woman. A rare blend of iron will and motherly gentility. Padme hoped that she could be so gracious, so strong when she left the public arena for a private life. "Point taken, Bail. Now, give, what is going on?"

"I don't know. All I know for sure is that Padawan Skywalker called and asked him to come," he shrugged, as though unconcerned. It was a lie and they both knew it. "I didn't ask where he was going, figuring that it had nothing to do with the Senate or me. It wasn't my business, for all that I am worried for the both of them."

"But we could help him," she protested. "That's what friends _do_. Help each other out in a crisis, in a time of emergency."

"Or make things worse," he pointed out, not unkindly. He knew exactly how she felt. It was frustrating to have to sit back, to watch, and not be able to do something for those they cared about. "We aren't like the Jedi, Padme, you must remember that. As much as we may wish to be there for our friends, we do not see things the way they do. We do not understand things the way they do. For all that we may work together and live in the same community, we will never be able to understand their lifestyle."

She sighed, fingering her shirt jacket idly. It had started to fray, she idly noted. "I know. I just...it frustrates me. I need to be _doing_ something."

Bail realized that she wasn't just speaking about the situation with Anakin and Obi-Wan. There was still the ongoing investigation into the attempts made on her life. Being unable to help or even offer an opinion was killing her. All they really knew at this point was that the investigation was in the hands of a Knight Quinlan Vos.

Not knowing what to say, Bail remained silent.

There really weren't words for this situation for anything he might say would sound false or placating-something that Padme wouldn't tolerate.

Knight Tachi leaned back, aware of their conversations. Both of them. Aware of a feeling of being ill at ease, not because of their words, no. There wasn't much said to be uneasy about. It was more the implications of their words. Because they seemed to confirm a lot of Obi-Wan's own feelings about the Chancellor.

And uneasy because Obi-Wan Kenobi, the most faithful and law abiding Jedi ever created, had gone to join his Padawan.

Not knowing what else to do, she contacted the Temple.

They needed to know what was going on.

654321

Anakin spent the night in moving meditation, working on his katas. Pent up energy and nerves slowly found release in the familiar and comforting motions he relaxed into. All of his concentration was on what he was doing.

Though he was unsettled by the idea, he tried to do what his mom had said-let it go. It would be the right thing to do, this he knew.

And yet, he couldn't.

It felt wrong.

Like, if he let it go, stopped worrying about it, something was bound to happen to them. To go wrong with their plans and leave behind a worse catastrophe. They always did. He had to be prepared for anything, be ready to help out in any situation.

Consciously, he reminded himself that he had done all he could for them. If he concentrated, he could almost hear Qui-Gon say that even the best plans go awry. It is then that one must trust in the Force to provide, to help them out.

Easy for him to say, he'd never had a mother in danger of slavery.

So, he worried and wondered. Thought over the plans they made and what he'd done, and do another kata. The work he had done on the shielding was working-it was one of the best things he'd ever done.

And nothing had exploded-though there had been that tiny fire when one of the wires short circuited. He fixed it up nicely, acquiring a new one easily enough. All that was left to do was worry that something would go wrong-and he was very good at that.

His breathing slowed as he reached out with his mind, touching lightly upon his sleeping mother and family before moving beyond the small homestead. Tatooine's deadness touched him and he quickly moved on, seeking for the Tuskens who sought to harm his family.

They proved elusive to his searching and he sighed, despondently. Slowly withdrawing from the waves of the living Force's flow, he knew that it had been a useless exercise. Yet, he couldn't have done anything less. Something caught his attention and he followed it, answering the call, finding Sharad Hett on the other end.

"_I am impressed by your daring and strength. Not many Padawan learners would have this kind of control over themselves and the living Force."_

"_I am unusual," he agreed with a smirk. "I hear it all the time. What is it you wish to speak to me of? Has news come from Coruscant about what I am to help you with?"_

"_Your impatience reveals your youth and inexperience," Sharad Hett sighed. "Yet, I am glad to get right to the point. I need you to stay inside tomorrow. No matter what happens, you cannot leave the house."_

"_That I cannot do, Sharad Hett. My family is in danger. The fact that you believe that I would do such a thing reveals that you do not yet understand my motivations. You do not understand who and what I am," Anakin scoffed._

"_The danger to you is more apparent," Sharad bluntly told him. "You are the one they seek, not your family. They seek you for you are the Chosen One. They do not care for the fate of your family and friends."_

"_I live the life of a Jedi. By our very nature, we live dangerous lives," Anakin pointed out, exasperated with him. His words held no meaning to him for he did not understand why this danger he was in should be so different._

"_That may be true but the danger found by the Jedi is not sought after. Even though I no longer live as a Jedi, I remember the tenets. I remember why they are what they are. If you go into battle tomorrow, you will find the price you pay higher than you think. For the sake of your soul, stay out of the fight."_

"_I promise you nothing. If I am needed, I shall do what I feel is right._"

Sharad sighed and withdrew from their meeting of minds, displeased with the results. That boy was far to stubborn-and far to powerful to be on his own. Opening his eyes, they locked with the Dark Woman's coldly knowing look.

"I told you he would not listen to you. He is as you thought, stubborn and powerful. He does not have a very realistic view of himself, thinking that he is the Chosen One."

"I don't think he actually believes it of himself," Sharad said, head tilted to the side in consideration. "Others seem to have slapped the title upon him-you included."

She ignored him. "The boy has no caution, no restrain without his Master by his side. Kenobi cripples that boy-even as he enables him. What was that fool thinking, to let a young boy go off on his own? A more useless Master was never created in the entire history of the Jedi."

"If you had not offended him, we would not be in this situation now. I do not understand why you harbor such ill feelings towards Master Kenobi. They should be let go of because we need that boy here-and you know it."

"Don't lecture me about letting go of ill will, Sharad Hett. Or shall I remind you of your feud with the Hutts? A feud that is not the Jedi way," she tartly said.

"The difference is that I take no pleasure from what I am doing. I am trying to rid this world that I love of a very dangerous threat. You take great pride in cutting down Master Kenobi," he pointed out.

"Not pride," she corrected him. "I take no pride from trying to remind the Jedi of what they are to stubborn to see about Master Yoda's little pet. They have all forgotten his past, but I have not. He was rewarded for deserting his Master in the past, for defying him. And yet, he has not been punished. His life has flourished without the slightest bit of effort on his part. It is all because of his position as Master Jinn's Padawan. He…"

"Has everything that your own Padawan was denied," he finished softly, with h a shiver that he valiantly strove to suppress as he realized it. Of course, why had he not seen it before? All the signs had been there. He had just ignored them, thinking it was something else. Yet, it was so simple to see, to understand now.

Aurra Sing, the Jedi Padawan who had been captured by pirates and trained in their ways.

Strong in the Force, only she preferred to use the Dark Side. Used it in an almost casual and offhand manner. A deadly efficient bounty hunter who had almost killed him. The very woman who was the reason he'd met the Dark Woman so many years ago.

Her silence was her answer.

"May I remind you that you left her to the will of the Force?"

The Dark Woman turned and walked away, unwilling to speak to him.

Bob watched all of this with sad eyes, he knew that his leader would do nothing more than what he had done for the boy. And while he understood that there were reasons for the decision, he also knew that he could not do the same thing.

Walking back to his tent, he entered and his lover joined him on the mat as he settled down, a distinctly unsettled air hanging about him. "What is it that troubles you?" the question came after a time of silence.

Bob sighed, resting his head on the strong arm surrounding his shoulder. After a time of silence, he spoke, unwilling to keep his thoughts to himself. "They wish to leave young Skywalker to his fate. I...I cannot do it. He saved mine though he was afraid of me and I threatened him. The boy could have left me. Everything he knew of us said that we were evil, would kill without a thought. He should have left me to my fate. He did not. How, then, can I?"

"You do not."

Blinking, he looked up, shocked by the simple pronouncement. Everything was so simple to his companion, so easy to figure out. Identify the problem and the solution, then do it. It was just that easy. Here is where you are and there is where you want to be. Travel in a straight path and you will get there quickly.

Bob was not so easily convinced that it could be done. "It cannot be that easy."

"It is not going to be. But I will be by your side. Our eeyopies are ready and our band awaits us, prepared. We leave as soon as you are battle changed."

"We may die for this. Even if we do not do so in battle, Sharad Hett will not be pleased with our actions."

"We will die together. That is all that matters to me."


	12. Obi Wan A Jedi No More?

Anakin woke from his trance and found himself frustrated-and completely alone.

It was something he was used to feeling but he didn't want to any longer. And he knew with a certainty that he only found in his bond with the living Force that he didn't have to feel this way any more.

There was someone who would accept him, who needed him.

Reaching out farther than he had ever dared to before, he found the cold of space before the familiar thrum of a spaceship. Heading towards it, he entered and there, looking worried and more than a little shaken, was his Master.

Obi-Wan was pale and shaking, clutching the arms of the seat he sat in tightly. The knuckles were white, bone almost showing through the skin so tightly was it stretched. There was a bleakness in his eyes, a hollowness of being that hadn't been seen in years.

Not since their loss in Theed, not since Anakin's own loss on Zenoma Sekot, the living ship that had truly been a part of him. A loss Obi-Wan hadn't really understood but tried to comfort him throughout it anyway.

Anakin appreciated every fumbling gesture he'd made, the way his Master had allowed him time to grieve over what some saw as merely a hunk of metal. His Master had seen more and allowed him his time alone, standing in the shadows as he bid the ship farewell.

The awkwardness of the hug Obi-Wan had initiated after he'd spilled his first tear over the loss. His gentle stroking hands and the strength in his arms as he carried Anakin into his own room, tucking him in.

The tremulous way he bade him sleep well. The way he'd allowed him to curl up against him on the ride home. And that he never said anything about the times he'd find Anakin curled up in bed with him, hugging onto his arm as though it was his only friend.

Anakin adored his Master for every fumbling gesture, every awkward word, and kept them hidden deep inside, treasuring every single one of them.

"_Master_?" he tentatively asked, shocked into speaking. He had only intended to be near him, to bask in the warmth of his familiar presence. It was a familiar childhood strength, one of the few uncomplicated things in his life.

The one thing that had not changed over the years.

But seeing his Master thus, weighted down with cares and fears, compelled him to speak. To try to ease his pains as his Master had done for him, "_What's wrong_?"

"Anakin? Padawan, what are you doing? You could get hurt doing this," he fretted, worried. His eyes studied him intently, trying to find any sign that he was in danger. That he was thinning in the Force through this latest bit of recklessness. He sagged a little in relief, seeing that he was fine.

The young man smiled, the waves of concern from his Master flowing over him effortlessly.

It was home.

It was comforting.

It was what he had been missing all this time.

"_I'm fine, just…wanted to check on you. Knowing how you drive, I was worried that you might've gotten lost. Or pulled over for obstructing traffic through extreme cautious slowness. When are you going to arrive?_" he asked, dropping the bantering instantly, the ache for his Master's strength grabbing him once more.

"I am more than halfway to Tatooine," Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head. "And whether you are being careful or not, what you are doing is dangerous in ways that I can't begin to tell you. Not only could you be hurt by expanding so much of yourself, you could get lost in the Force. You could desire to stay there, my Padawan, to never return to me. And then what would I do?"

"_You'd find me. I know that only you would be able to do so_," he simply said, absolute conviction and trust in his voice and eyes.

It stunned Obi-Wan for he truly couldn't see what Anakin saw in him. The truth of their bond's strength eluded him.

The stunned silence that met his words went on for what seemed like an eternity. The gulf between them opened and fear ripped through him, usually Obi-Wan would object to a comment like that.

It was just something that happened, he could almost predict it. The schoolteacher's disapproving voice, the slight tilt of his head, the confused emotions filling his eyes as he turned to him, asking him what exactly he was talking about. "_Master_?" he tentatively asked.

"Your confidence in me is astounding, my Padawan," he finally said, voice a hushed whisper. "I do not deserve it."

"Ani?" his mother shook his shoulder, pulling him away before he could object.

He blinked slowly, focusing on her. "I'm all right, mom. Just unbelievably cold." A tremendous loss filled him.

"What were you doing?" she asked, worried. She had only come out to get a glass of water, not expecting to find him frozen in place. She had never seen him so pale, so shocky. His body trembled so much, she automatically felt his forehead for a fever.

Jerking his head back slightly, he avoided her touch.

His eyes didn't seem to see her, for all that he was looking straight at her. "Meditating," he replied quietly, still trying to come back into himself. "Mom, would you excuse me? There's something I need to do."

"Of course," she answered, feeling him shut her out.

"Thank you." He rose and hugged her before leaving. Obi-Wan's pale and pinched face before his eyes. Inside, his heart had clenched so tightly with worry that he was surprised it hadn't broken into pieces yet.

Something was wrong-and Obi-Wan was right in the center of it.

654321

Obi-Wan sighed, the conversation with Anakin only served to bring to mind what Master Windu had scolded him about earlier.

"_Master Kenobi, where do you think you are going?_ " Mace's face was impassive but he was irritated with him all the same. Obi-Wan could tell it just from the way he stood, the tenor of his voice only added volumes to his stance.

"Master Windu," he greeted him, then cleared his throat and his mind. Reaching for the calm of the Force, he kept still until he could speak. Breathing deeply, he announced, "I am going to join my Padawan."

"_Why_?" he asked, though he already knew this. Hearing it solidified in Mace's mind that something was afoot. Something he did not want to think about right then. "_You do remember that your Padawan is currently serving his Jedi Trial, do you not_?"

He spoke as though he doubted Obi-Wan's intelligence.

Obi-Wan flinched at the tone and bowed his head. "Yes, Master Windu, I do."

"_Then why are you going when you know that you will be breaking one of the rules of Mastery_?" he asked him, patiently. "_This is your trial as much as it is Padawan Skywalker's. You must be willing to let him do this on his own or you will cripple him now and in the future. Your own actions will determine if you are fit to be a Jedi Master. I am very concerned by your lack of foresight-something that has never happened before. By this behavior you are exhibiting, this is what we have come to expect from other, less experienced Jedi Knights than you. We expect better of you, Obi-Wan. You are a Knight of the Jedi Order with a Padawan Learner. This is an affront to the High Jedi Council, to the Code you have sworn to uphold..._"

"Mace, he asked me to help him. The Force is telling me that I need to be with him for his soul is in danger," he quietly interrupted him, shocked by his audacity in this action.

"_To lose one's life in the service of others is a small price for a Jedi to pay. You sound as though you are attached to Padawan Skywalker. In which case, the danger you speak of is to you, not to him. Turn your ship around and return to Coruscant. Immediately_."

"No."

Mace's eyes widened, hearing the word. His head shook numbly, as though he couldn't quite process it. "_Are you defying an order from the Jedi Council_?" he asked, making sure.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, his stomach twisted up in tight knots. Knots that felt as though they were turning in upon themselves to make room for more knots.

He felt sick.

Sicker than he'd ever felt in his life-even being on trial for the murder of Bruck Chan did not come close to how he felt at that moment.

"Yes."

"_I see_," he slowly said. "_Master Kenobi, how do you expect Padawan Skywalker to show us any respect, follow our orders, when you do not see fit to do so yourself? Do you not care for the fate of Padawan Skywalker_?"

"Of course I do!"

"_Then you will cease chasing this ridiculous mission of yours. You will return to Coruscant and the Jedi Temple immediately. Things have changed between the Senate and those who are now calling themselves Separatists. We have been recalling Jedi Knights and Masters from across the Galaxy to answer this emergency_."

"Then I shall bring Anakin with me."

"_Padawan Skywalker is not to return until his mission is completed. You, on the other hand, are_," he said, not unkindly.

"I cannot in all good conscience do that."

"_If you do not, you will no longer be a Jedi Knight. It would be a shame to lose you, Obi-Wan, a pity even. But if you persist, we cannot allow you to stay. You may even find yourself labeled a traitor to the Republic_," he warned.

The knife slid close and then into his heart, cutting it out completely. A gaping wound within his soul as he turned his back on the Order and all he knew.

Still, he spoke quietly, with a firmness that belied his feelings. "It will be so for I cannot deny the will of the Force-and I will not abandon my Padawan. May the Force be with you all for I cannot stand by your side in this, Master Windu."

A solitary tear rolled down his face as he shut off the communicator, empty of all but the faintest heartbeat that screamed to be heard over the keening cries of his pain. His shoulders shook under the force of his suppressed tears.

Hearing the voice of his Padawan at that moment was a blessing and a curse.

It brought him comfort-and sent fear coursing through his veins, washing away thoughts of his own situation. Of his own tremendous loss and he worried over what his Padawan could possibly be thinking, traveling through the Force like this.

Bringing to light the reality of his failings with Anakin, he couldn't even teach the boy caution when it came to traversing the Force's myriads of paths. When he disappeared into the Force, it was a terrible shock to him.

He hoped that Anakin was all right but couldn't bring himself to move, feeling drained and tired by the loss of something he never thought to lose again.

The com beeped and he ignored it, not wanting to deal with the Jedi Council.

"_Master_?" A voice tentatively asked, worry lacing the tenor's undertone. "_Uhm, are you near the com_?"

With a sigh, he intercepted the recording and greeted him with a tired smile, trying to fight back the paralyzing grip that held him. He was not sure that he succeeded but felt he had to try, if only for his Padawan's sake.

_If you could still even call him that_...a voice traitorously whispered. "So, you can use more conventional means of communicating with others. It is good to know that I have not entirely failed to teach you common sense."

"_Master, what's wrong_?" he asked, not reacting to the words.

"What makes you think there is anything wrong?"

Anakin's eyes closed momentarily, pleading for patience to deal with this. With Obi-Wan's stubborn insistence on carrying all the burdens alone. They were in this together-and sooner or later, he would get his Master to accept the truth of that.

Opening them again, he looked directly into Obi-Wan's own pained ones, a pleading in his. In that moment, there was no space or distance between them. "_Don't shut me out, Master, please, not this time. I know something has happened. I can see it in your eyes. In the way you can't let go of that chair. Please, let me in. Let me help you_."

Obi-Wan felt something snap inside but couldn't allow it out.

Not yet.

'_If not now, then when, my young Padawan_ ?'

'_When I am strong enough to bear the consequences of my actions, Master. Please, I cannot do this with you now. I can't_.'

Forcing his hands to relax, to let go, he placed them in his lap, hidden from sight. He knew full well that Anakin wouldn't be fooled by it but he couldn't let that stop him from trying. "There's nothing you can do for me right now, my Padawan. I have just been informed that the situation back at Coruscant has changed dramatically. It is no longer a matter of _if_ the Senate will create an army for the Republic-but when."

The words thrummed between them, pounding in the air.

Harsh in their finality.

Anakin's face remained calm, impassive but his eyes...his eyes burned with an intense fire. Pain and betrayal burned in those deep eyes. A solid conviction in his voice as he stated, almost as though he was speaking from a distance. "_The Jedi Council has called you back to Coruscant, haven't they? And me as well_."

"They have called me back," he agreed with him. "But not you. They have said that you are to remain on Tatooine. Your mission is not yet completed."

"_Then I suppose I shall see you when I return_," he heaved a resigned sigh.

"No. You will see me when I arrive on Tatooine in two days time," he gently contradicted him.

"_But the Council..._" he said, shocked.

"Is not you," he said evenly. The pure allegiance to his Padawan, born in a trial by fire so many years ago echoed between them.

An older law-one that he would honor from now on-loyalty to one's Padawan before all else. He had to, if he was to retain hold of his sanity, of all that he knew himself to be. Besides, it was really no question anymore.

His Padawan came first and in the end, that was all that mattered to him.

"_I take it that the Jedi Council was not pleased_," he said, thinking quickly.

"Not pleased, no. But they have accepted my choice," Obi-Wan agreed, keeping silent about their decision. It wouldn't do to worry Anakin right now. There were other, more important things for him to worry about at the moment.

Anakin came to his own conclusions about what his Master's cryptic words meant. Almost, he wished to deny what he felt to be truth-but he could not do so. It felt to real, to much like what he thought they'd do.

They had kicked his Master out of the Jedi Order.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, the best Jedi in the Order, and a true servant of the Republic. The most loyal and dedicated Jedi he had ever met-and the Jedi Council had kicked him out as though he had never done a thing for them.

The Jedi Order was his Master's life. It was who he was. It defined and shaped him-and he was leaving it all behind him, willingly-for him.

Even as his mind struggled disbelievingly to take in the enormity of Obi-Wan's sacrifice for him, he spoke, "_Accepted it? That doesn't wound promising, Master. In fact, it sounds bad. What did they do? Threaten you_?"

Anger curled around his words, enlivening them with a threat they were never supposed to have.

A threat he silently committed to memory.

"Of course not, Anakin. This is the Jedi Council we are talking about, not mindless thugs," he reprovingly said. "They are not gangsters. Remember who they are, they do not threaten anyone-even their enemies."

"_Don't treat me like a child, Master. I know what the Jedi Council is like. They threatened to throw you out, didn't they_ ?"

Obi-Wan's flinch was the only answerhe needed.

He seethed, especially seeing the resigned look on his Master's face. "_I can't believe they did that to you. You are twice the Jedi any of them are_."

"That's enough, Padawan. It ill becomes you to speak of the Council like that."

"_But it's not fair, Master_!" he whined, stopping at the sound that echoed about him. He _hated_ that sound. He had to remember to act better if he wanted his Master to listen to him-and whining like an immature brat would not help him.

Plus, it was just mortifying. "_I'm sorry, Master. I should not have said anything. It was wrong of me_."

Surprised by this apology, Obi-Wan accepted it easily. After all, Anakin had a right to speak his mind, even if he didn't like it. "There's nothing to forgive, Anakin. You have every right to offer your opinion."

"_I should just watch how and when I do so_," he finished with him. "_I know, Master, I really do listen to you_."

"I know you do. Tell me, what is your situation?"

Vexed though he was, Anakin answered him, letting it slide.

For the moment. "_We are preparing for the attack-which is tomorrow_."

"So soon," he murmured, almost to himself. He knew that he would not be able to make it, hoping that the fallout wouldn't be to severe. Then he quietly asked Anakin, seeing that he had more to say even if he wasn't sure how to put it. "And how do you feel about that?"

"_I don't feel comfortable with it. Everything in me says that we should get out of here. That I should take them away._" He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. With the Council, with the situation, with the Raiders, with the fact that his Master wouldn't get there in time-and he kicked himself mentally for not calling him sooner.

"_I don't know what to **do**, Master. I don't want anyone to get hurt-even the Raiders. But then I look around me and see what's here. They have such a good, peaceful life. I hate that its going to be shattered for no good reason. And I want to kill those responsible. I want to hunt them down and make them pay for what they are doing. What they are going to do to these farmers. And I don't want to feel this way, Master. It doesn't seem right_."

"Do you know why that is?" he asked, slipping back into the role of teacher easily.

Anakin rolled his eyes, though deeply grateful to be on familiar ground again. "_Because it is wrong. They are only doing what they know, the same as we do. We learn by example, by what we see and experience. They have known a brutal life. Therefore, they are a brutal people. We may not like it but we can only accept them for what they are_."

"Do you believe that? Or are you only repeating it for my benefit?" a teasing lilt in his voice.

Anakin laughed, "_Would I do that to you, Master_?"

"I think you should get used to calling me Obi-Wan," he softly said, a hollowness in his eyes as he recalled the truth. He was not a Master to this young man any longer. He no longer had the right to share in his life. "In the world of the Jedi and, indeed, in the Republic, I am no longer your Master, my Pad...Anakin," he awkwardly finished.

"_You will always be my Master no matter what those fools on the Jedi Council believe or say about it. I will not be a Jedi without you_," he declared, cut by the way Obi-Wan hadn't finished calling him his Padawan-for that was who he was.

That was who he'd always be.

"Anakin," he started, helplessly searching for words to speak. They would not come to him. He had nothing in all of his past experiences to help him deal-and the Force was silent on it. "You can't give up being a Jedi for me."

"_Why not? You are for me_," he pointed out, forcing Obi-Wan to hold his gaze.

"That is different," he said, knowing just how pathetic that sounded. But what else was he to say? It was different.

Wasn't it?

"_Not from where I'm standing, Master_."

"The Jedi Council made me your Master, Anakin. They can undo that easily-and they will."

"_They cannot undo what the Force itself created,_" he spoke, moved by the Force itself. For the first time, he allowed the Force to take him over, speaking through him. "_The Force chose you-not another, **you-**to be my Master. The Force, not the Jedi Council made you my Master when you pointed out Tatooine all those years ago. And what the Force has bound together, no one can break. Face it_," he cheekily added, coming back to himself, "_You're stuck with me_."

"So it appears," he dryly said, unable to refute the words that came from the Force itself.

"_So it is_," he softly agreed with him, smiling shyly.

Shaking his head, Obi-Wan let out a deep sigh of...something he couldn't quite explain. "You are unbelievable, my Padawan, absolutely unbelievable."

"_I know, my Master_," he smirked, glad to have his Master back-even if it was only part way.

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_Author's Note: Some of the things refered to by Obi-Wan and Anakin happen in the Extended Universe. If they confuse you, drop me a line. I'll try to answer any questins you have. It may just take me a while to do so. stupid boss_


	13. Meanwhile, Back At The Core Worlds

_Author's Note and Thanks: I am so sorry it has taken me forever to get even one chapter updated. My computer battery's dying and I've been sick and working. RL is a real pain in the butt, people. As for my comp troubles, I've finally decided to bite the bullet and get a new one. cries I will soon be retiring my baby and getting a new one. My heartfelt thanks go out to those who have been patient with me during all of this. I really appreciate your continual support, though this story is long in coming. I hope it lives up to expectations. Thanks so much, Padfoot Reincarnated, Lea Nikkaya, Alley Parker, Sherlockian Slytherin, and SVCrystalGreen._

_BTW: Mace is part of the Council at the time of Qui-Gon's apprenticeship. I don't think he really was but as I can't see Yoda being the one Dooku approached with his problem, I am not going to worry over it. If it bothers anyone, let me know and I'll see if I can find any reference to who (other than Yoda and Yaddle) who were on the Council at the time._

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Anakin ended the call with his Master, sighing. Things were spiraling out of his control and he wasn't sure he wanted it to stop. When he was busy, when he was pulled in several different directions, he didn't have a moment to himself in which to stop and think.

"Padawan Skywalker, of your mission, I bring you news."

"I don't have a mission for the Jedi Council anymore," Anakin flatly replied, meeting Yoda's gaze evenly. It was unnerving to him that he hadn't heard the communicator go off. Or even remembered pressing the button to receive the message. And yet, he must have because he could clearly see and hear Master Yoda before him.

Yoda frowned, unsettled by his words-and the anger tinged aura about him. "As long as Jedi Padawan you are, obey the orders of the Jedi Council you will." The words he spoke were stern but with enough softness there to give the Padawan leeway to apologize and listen to him.

"Considering that the _Jedi Council_," he sneered as he spat out the words viciously, "Has forced my Master out of the Jedi Order, I refuse to follow their ridiculous orders any longer. Clearly, they are no longer following the will of the Force-and have decided to take it out on my Master."

"Of what do you speak of?" Yoda asked, eyes narrowed. Though he wished deny the spoken words, he knew of Anakin's innate honesty. Painful or not, the boy would never _knowingly_ lie.

Anakin blanched, shocked. "You don't know? How could you not know what just happened? Aren't you the leader of the Jedi Council?"

"Of equal rank we are," he sharply retorted. "Hold one Jedi above another we do not. Heard nothing of this development I have. Pressing business on Coruscant developed and away from the Temple to take care of it I was called."

The honesty in Yoda's voice and eyes silenced him temporarily, making his doubt for a moment what his instincts told him. "I don't understand," he muttered. "If you don't know, if you weren't even there, then how did this happen? Surely such a decision could not be made without you."

"No explanation for you I have. Find out what has been going on at the Temple I shall," Yoda ended their conversation, unsettled by what he'd heard. Deeply disturbed, he stepped away from the console and stared out where the Jedi Temple was.

Something was going on back there that he did not understand-and it was not pleasant to contemplate what it could be.

"Master Yoda," Palpatine's voice oozed into his ears as though he was pouring his presence into the Jedi's soul. He approached the diminutive Jedi Master, carefully making his way through the remains of the vessel. "I had hoped to find you still here. What news have you to share with me? I'm afraid that even my considerable influence with the holo-net crews has finally been exhausted. They are pressing us all for more details, though they assure me that they will respect the rights of the families and will not reveal names until they have been notified."

Never before had Yoda felt a disgust for the Chancellor as he did at that precise moment.

Pausing for a moment to wonder why, he could not come up with anything-except for the rather strange blank space in the Force the Chancellor appeared to be. Shaking his head for the living demanded his immediate attention, he answered the question with a deep, sorrowful sigh. "News that I have to share, only bad it is. Several passengers in agony they are, wounded to point of death I fear. Most others on board, dead I fear they are."

"How tragic this is. Do I know any of the dead?" he asked, probing delicately. "Any of the injured? Or is that something I should not be asking now as I am not family, merely the Chancellor of the Republic. If you wish to inform their families first, I shall understand. There is no telling how they may take the news-and to find out about it second hand...well, that would be worse."

They stood, staring at the wreckage and he couldn't stop the shiver that rocked through him. The damage to the ship was tremendous-beyond anything he'd been expecting to see. The fact that anyone survived what he saw, well, that was truly miraculous.

Yoda's head bowed in acknowledgment, almost as if to prepare him for what was to come. "Right to ask these questions of me you are. Sorry to inform you that close to the dead and injured you are."

"Perhaps we should talk more in my office about this," Palpatine suggested, shivering in the chill wind. He looked about, as though to assure himself that, save for the rescue crew and his own core of body guards, they were alone.

One never knew what his enemies might make of this situation-though Palpatine could well image the ramifications of their thoughts and words anyway.

This attack had occurred on Coruscant's own soil.

He, as the Supreme Chancellor, should have been more prepared for its eventuality-especially knowing what he and the rest of the Senate did about the Separatists. They should have been more mindful of the reports they were receiving. Instead, they had been complacent and ignored the growing threat.

"Another time shall we talk, Chancellor. Urgent business to the Jedi Temple I am called," Yoda said.

"Of course," he quickly said, though he did not like the sound of Yoda's words. For the first time, he felt a bit of fear over the Jedi and what might happen to the Republic-_and to him_-without them. "You must take care of the Jedi first for we shall need them in the growing crisis. I hope that this situation will be quickly resolved. I trust that it shall not affect your duty to Republic."

"Of that not sure I am," he softly mused.

So softly his voice was that the Chancellor almost did not hear the startling words.

Almost.

"What do you mean? Surely nothing terrible has happened to the Jedi in these trying times? We who live in the Republic need your calm and strength now more than ever," he exclaimed, stopping their forward motions so abruptly one of his guards nearly crushed him.

"Do our best to help in this time of need we will. But warriors we are not," he reiterated Mace's words to the Chancellor quietly. After a moment, they began to walk again. "To others the Senate may have to turn to if unable to counter this threat the Jedi are."

"Have you any suggestions to offer for I fear that the Senate will not wish to create an army from their own people. They will listen to any advice the Jedi have," he pointed out. "And I do not wish to create an army by suggesting it myself. As the Supreme Chancellor, my voice should remain neutral until it is apparent that a deciding voice is needed."

Yoda was silent as they entered the elevator, pondering his reasonable words. On the way down, he finally spoke, "Of this situation, Knight Vos a great discovery has been made. While tracking a weapon left behind by Senator Amidala's assassin, found something on an outer rim world-one call Kamino-have clones been created for the Jedi."

"Clones? For the Jedi? For what purpose?" Palpatine asked, nose wrinkling up in disgust. It was a distasteful thought. But he was also intrigued by what Yoda shared. "And why did no one think to inform us of this discovery before? Should we not have been told?"

"Accident happened before tell you of this discovery we could," he calmly answered, meeting his gaze evenly, no guile there. "To deceive you was not our intent. Master Sifo-Dyas to Kamino many years ago he secretly went. Ordered the creation of the clones without our prior consent and knowledge he did. The purpose of his actions in doing this, the Jedi Council knows not. Only that in the name of the Jedi Council and the Republic did he do this."

"I see. But if the clones were ordered for the Jedi to use-whether or not that was your intent-would they not be loyal to you alone?"

The doors opened into the surprisingly quite docking bay and they walked over to where Yoda's ship waited for him. Slightly vexed because he could not answer these questions, he had to stop what he was doing. He breathed deeply and released those emotions into the Force.

Calmed once again, he spoke, "A good point you have brought up whose answer I cannot give you. Talk to the Kaminoans you should. More knowledge have they of this situation than I they will. Until later we speak, farewell."

"Good-bye, Master Yoda. May I see you again under far better circumstances."

"It is to be hoped that so it shall be."

Palpatine watched him leave and made his way back to the Senate, his mind swirling with unanswered questions. Clones, deaths and injuries on his own soil, strange happening at the Jedi Temple, it all added up to great confusion. And many opportunities for an enemy to strike at him, to harm his cause.

He did not like the feeling that he'd been thrown for a loop and would not be able to regain his ground in this quagmire of a situation.

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The Jedi Council was divided upon rather even lines upon the issue of the expulsion of one Obi-Wan Kenobi as Master Yoda walked in. "A meeting of the Council called it has been. But notified of it I was not. Of what speak you that call me and wait you could not?"

"The expulsion of Kenobi for he has put attachment before duty," Mace stiffly explained.

"He is not doing anything wrong," Master Galia quietly said. "As he put it to you-and then you to us, he is following the will of the Force."

"He only says that he is. But he is not," Master Rancissis reflected. "It is attachment that causes him to turn from us. From the beginning of their partnership, it has been apparent that Kenobi follows that boy about-not the other way around."

"If the Force has spoken to Obi-Wan, then doubt it not we should."

"Of course, you would say that. He's always been a pet project of yours."

Yoda's eyes narrowed, going cold. "Favorite games play I do not. Dark are the words you speak. Troubled is my mind by this dissension that in the Council exists."

"The dissension within is not with us, Master Yoda. It is in you."

A gasp came from the Council at Mace's words, even those who sided with him on the issue of Kenobi were appalled by them. "Master Windu, think more carefully upon your words," Master Bilaba cautioned, fearing for the man she thought of as her father.

"I have no need to think about them, my mind has never been more clear than it is now. The Dark Side has clouded many of our sights. It has weakened us through its persistent growth. We know it but we do not admit to it. And why? For fear of losing what we have."

"It is right that we do not speak openly of our weaknesses. The Republic looks to us for answers and guidance-for continual stability. These are deeply troubled times and the people we serve need us now more than ever. If we tell them that we are falling in our own abilities, that we cannot see as once we had, panic would reign. Was it not you, Master Windu, who once said that the good of the people must come before the needs of the few?" Knight Mundi said.

"I did-which is why I maintain that Kenobi should be expelled from the Order. He has put the welfare of one person above his commitment to the Republic," Mace stated. "I do not and will not deny that I think he has fallen into the shadow of the Dark Side. Are we agreed?"

Though there was still some doubt as to the rightness of this action, the Council agreed-save Yoda. But, as it had been with the decision regarding Anakin's training, he was outvoted. Silence reigned for a moment as what they did sunk in, Yoda's head shook.

"If Obi-Wan no longer a Jedi is, then lost the Jedi have truly become. Depart I shall for serve among those who are lost I cannot. And will not," Yoda sadly announced. In the shocked silence, he pulled out his lightsaber and dropped it on the floor.

"Gone are the Jedi if hear the Force you cannot," he said, adding a warning. "The Dark Side's shroud fallen it may have. But aid it the Jedi now are."

With sorrow weighing down his feet, he turned and left.

In the wake of his leaving, they could only stare at his lightsaber in shock. To lose Obi-Wan was a small price to pay to preserve the Republic they swore to uphold.

But to lose Master Yoda?

That was something that a few members found unalterably unforgivable. Five lightsabers joined the one on the ground. Five Jedi followed after him, unable to stay in the wake of his words.

Outside the Council's chambers, many Jedi were in a state of shock. "How could this be?" One could hear the question whispered about the halls of the Temple. "Obi-Wan Kenobi? Expelled?"

"Something must be wrong with the Jedi Council," Padawan Offee murmured to her Master, hearing the whispers. "His spirit did not seem weak when we met him. In fact, I would say that he has one of the strongest spirits I've ever been allowed to meet."

"There is more at work here than what we can see, Padawan. Do not always trust the first thing you hear for deception can lie in wait in the most innocuous of words. We must find out more before we can honestly judge a situation," Master Unduli counseled.

"Yes, Master. Forgive my impatience," she apologized, though she was pretty sure that whatever it was that caused the trouble involved one arrogant Padawan-Anakin Skywalker.

"Do no be so hasty to judge his Padawan either," she gently rebuked. "Padawan Skywalker is under a tremendous amount of pressure to be more than the rest of us. I will not deny that he has a tendency to be arrogant but it is not without reason-or provocation. None of us are immune to arrogance."

Flushing, Barriss bowed her head.

"It is something to be aware of," she finished calmly.

"I shall be more mindful, my Master."

A gasp erupted in all corners-all the hallways and rooms of the Temple as Jedi upon Jedi felt a pain rip through them. Tearing apart their mental shields, bringing many to their knees in agony.

The Force shrieked once and was silent.

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Count Dooku sat, reclining in the chair upon his balcony, overlooking the rose garden. Breathing in the peace of the cooling evening, he wished that it could last, knowing with the practicality that was at the core of his soul, that it would not.

It would not be long before he was required to leave his home behind him-perhaps forever-in favor of...other pursuits. Pursuits that, while necessary, were not the things that he wished to do.

This whole business was wearisome to him.

Still, needs must be satisfied before wants were filled. It may have been one of the few things upon which the Jedi and Sith agreed.

"Darth Tyrannus," a raspy voice that held a kind of silken smoothness to it, called out and jostled him from his thoughts.

"Master," he greeted, quickly putting aside his drink and rising to kneel before the image. "What is it that you wish of me?"

Sidious stared at him, a thoughtful look on his face. "Have you any news of the Skywalker boy?"

"No, my lord. It is as if he has simply vanished from the Galactic Republic, leaving not even a hint of his signature behind him. I have not even been able to trace him on any of the neutral words. I still have many bounty hunters looking into it," he replied.

"And Kenobi?"

Dooku flinched slightly, though, oddly enough, there was no reproach in his Master's tone of voice. He had not thought that his Master had been aware of his own private search for the Jedi he could consider a grandchild, had he any desire to do so.

Reading his thoughts, Sidious gave a slight chuckle as he replied, "Yes, Tyrannus. I know of your efforts to find him for they are not as hidden as you obviously believed. Before, I would have been displeased with your actions, thinking that you wished to betray me and return to the fold. But now...now, I am pleased by what you have done."

"You are?" he asked, puzzled by his words.

Surprised.

He would not have thought such a thing possible and he was slightly afraid of what it meant. Though his new Master was disdainful of Kenobi and his potential as a apprentice, he had been inordinately interested in getting rid of him. Almost obsessively so.

And Dooku had wondered why, though he did not have the courage to ask his Master after it.

Why it was so imperative to kill the boy if he was only mediocre in skills. Not even worth a glance or a place in his far reaching plans. Of course, he understood that Sidious was upset with the boy for killing his own apprentice, but there was something more to it.

This change of heart caused him to admit to the truth he kept buried deep within himself. He simply wanted to save the only link he had to his own Padawan from Sidious' plans.

Kenobi deserved better than death, far better.

Dooku had watched the boy almost as intently as he had studied Qui-Gon Jinn. There was much in this young man that was unique and perfect. If not for his own disappointments and commitments, he might have taken the boy as his own Padawan.

Yes, the boy was a quick study and intelligent. He would make an excellent apprentice of the Dark Side, if only he could convince the boy of that.

And if he couldn't, well, death still was not the answer.

Far better that he be hidden away until this whole mess was over-and his Master had forgotten Kenobi when he'd achieved his goals. The boy could live safely in anonymity.

"Yes. I believe that he is the key to finding young Skywalker. Where is he?"

_And it all circled back upon that wretched child_, Dooku thought, resentfully. That brat had been one of the reasons his Padawan lay dead even now. He was an inanity, a commonplace child. Powerful in the Force, but with no true capacity for what was required of them for he stubbornly clung to his loyalties, to his family and friends.

And yet, his Master had invested a lot of time in the brat. A lot of effort in becoming his friend, his trusted advisor. It would not be wise to mess with whatever intentions his Master had for him. "Up until a few days ago, he was on Alderaan."

"_Was_ on Alderaan?" he repeated, angered by the news. Angered that he had not though about it himself for it was so obvious that he would go to Alderaan. Obi-Wan Kenobi had been under his very nose the whole time, within reach of his own network of spies and had still managed to elude him.

Now, who knew what had become of him?

"No, my Master, he _was_ not on the vessel with Senator Organa and Senator Amidala. For some reason, he left in the middle of the night-using the Force to disguise his path." Honestly, it was rather ingenious of the boy to do that-yet, it left him feeling utterly frustrated with him.

"He must be going to join young Skywalker. Find him, my apprentice. Your other assignments may wait until this is accomplished. Find him-and bring him unharmed. Alive, he may yet be of use to me."

"As you wish, my lord." Dooku waited until Sidious had faded away before rising and watching as the holo-chair walked away. Walking a few paces to the edge of the balcony, he rested his hands on it and leaned forward, staring intently out at the night sky.

Looking out at his vast lands bordered by the sea, he appreciated once again the fertile lands that allowed him to live comfortably in this most confusing of times. He studied the rose bushes and smelled them mingling with the salty air, sighing.

Unbidden, a memory of Qui-Gon and his first-but not only-visit to Seranno.

_Early on, Master Dooku realized that this relationship would not be easy for him to adjust to._

_If his rooms got any more disorganized, he'd never know another day of peace and order until the boy had become a Knight. With a resigned sigh for he knew he had to do something to make this work, he went to see Master Windu. "Hello, old friend," he greeted him. "I have a favor to ask of you, if I may. It is about my Padawan."_

_Intrigued, Mace nodded that he could proceed. Listening to him, a frown formed on his face. "You know what you ask is rather unprecedented."_

_"But not unreasonable if the outcome is what I believe that it will be. Our relationship will improve if we have time to get to know each other. In all honesty, I had not expected him to be so...high spirited."_

_Mace chuckled. Dooku was putting it mildly. "You were warned that he was not quite right for you. A mastery of a particular sword form does not a match make for a sword master."_

_"I maintain my position on this. He is the Padawan I want," he stoically said._

_"No one doubts your commitment," Mace soothingly said. "We just do not thing that one of your temperament is the one for Padawan Jinn. Nevertheless, the Force has blessed your union and we will follow its wisdom in this. I will speak with the Jedi Council."_

_"Thank you," he murmured. "Are you on your way now?"_

_"No. i am free until early this afternoon. Why?"_

_"Then I invite you to practice with me, to see if your new sword form can compete with time honored ones." The two made their way down the hall, unconcerned with those who followed after them._

_Qui-Gon shifted in his chair restlessly, almost wishing to press his face against the plasta glass and look out at Seranno. The transport had taken them away from Coruscant three days earlier and he had yet to do more than sit in the chair, meditate, and read. Compared to what was going on, he doing it boring._

_Excitement thrummed in his veins._

_He'd never been _anywhere_ outside the Temple before. From all he heard, no Jedi Padawan every had this chance so early in their training. He liked the feeling of notoriety this gave him. The envious looks of other Padawans his age made him smile, pleased to be at the center of attention._

_And, though it felt odd to be away from the familiar sounds and feel of the Force that surrounded him there, he liked the feel of it just as much away from the others. It felt cleaner and fresher somehow when he was away from all of the Jedi. Like they were no longer clouding his mind and taking up space so that he could pursue what was really his gift-his own voice in the Force._

_Besides, what was the harm in it? He only wanted to see where he was going. Surely, Master Dooku wouldn't object if he was really quiet about it. If he didn't do anything to disturb him, he could take one look outside._

_But his Master's stern rebuke rang in his ears. It was one of many he'd heard, but this one stuck with him far longer than the others had. '_You are a Jedi Padawan, not a gaping monkey. Sit down and be quiet.

_Glancing over cautiously, he saw that his Master reading his datapad and turned back to the window, really tempted to peek. Slowly, he started to shift, taking care to not show it. His robe was clutched tightly in his grip so that it wouldn't fall._

Or get caught on anything again_, he thought, blushing slightly as he fingered the slight tear in his sleeve._

_"Sit back down, Padawan. We shall be there soon," Dooku said, eyes never leaving the words he read._

_Qui-Gon sat back, deflated. In truth, he was a little afraid of the man who was his Master. There was an icy cold perfection about him that chilled him where their bond connected them._

_Landing, they disembarked and walked out into the watery pre-dawn light. The tang of salt mingled with a new perfume-a scent Qui-Gon couldn't recognize- teased his senses with its exotic flavor. The scent reawakened his keen curiosity and he looked about him-until his Master's irritated sigh reached his ears._

_Falling behind him, his feet felt weighted down under the disappointment he felt. He didn't know what to say or do here. It was a strange feeling for he'd always felt at home in any situation. He wondered if he'd ever know how to get along with his new Master-if he ever would._

_And not for the first time did he wondered just why he'd been chosen_.

"I still find myself wondering about that," Qui-Gon quietly said, startling his old Master. "Why you chose me out of all the others. I was far from your ideal of the perfect Padawan."

Dooku's eyes were wide as he stared, mind grasping to deal with the reality of what he saw. "This cannot be real," he denied, head shaking to reaffirm his words. "You cannot be here, standing before me"

"You know that I am," he countered gently. "Your eyes do not deceive you, though your mind tells you that it is so."

His hand trembled slightly as it reached out, stopping short of touching the specter in front of him. "How is this possible? You should not be here. All we know, all we believe, says that this is impossible. You are defying the very reality that we know to exist."

"All that I know of you says that you serving the Sith is impossible. I well remember your absolute distaste and disgust over the Sith holo-cron. Over any Jedi who could not stay true to the path before them. Yet, you are," he argued back. "Open your mind, Master, and see the truth. You are not as far gone as you think for all that you have done many a dark deed."

"Your belief in me is both foolish-and laughable."

"Then why do you want to protect Obi-Wan? Protect him even though he is an enemy of the Sith? An enemy of all that you now claim to be?" he softly questioned him. "Why even now do you plot to deceive you new Master?"

"I do no such thing," he denied, voice hollow of any conviction.

"You cannot lie to me, Master, for though I stand before you in the very image of your former Padawan, I am still part of the Force. And you cannot hide the truth from the Force."

It was inescapable, this logic Qui-Gon used and Dooku leaned back, defeated momentarily by him. "What would you have me do?" he finally asked.

"Tell the Jedi what you know," he said simply, as though it was that easy of an answer.

A scoff escaped his lips and his voice dripped with disdain as he shook his head. "Those blind fools? They are _diseased_, Padawan. A disease that corrupts their very essence and life, blinding them to the very obvious truth that is in their midst. The darkness is there, has been there for years, and they have not been aware of it. Have not lifted a finger to try to stem the tide. There is no help to be found from revealing what I know to them."

"I said the Jedi, not the Jedi Council. There are many who would follow you for they doubt the Council's decision regarding matters of import. At least, when it concerns certain people," Qui-Gon said, amusement curling around his words.

"What do you mean? Surely the sheep who follow the Council's every whim have not suddenly discovered their backbones? That the Council, while wise in many ways, is not infallible to mortal weaknesses?"

"Not quite. But it appears that I've misjudged my Padawan's influence upon the Jedi as a whole," Qui-Gon mused, shaking his head. "If not for Anakin's startlingly strong connection to the Force, I would believe that he is the Chosen One."

"Power alone does not make one the Chosen One," Dooku sardonically said. "Surely I taught you that power is transitory and can easily be lost. Did you never listen to anything I taught you? Ever? And if your Kenobi has done something to awaken the slumbering consciouses of the Jedi, that makes him more valuable than a powerful trinket."

"But he's just Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon protested, seeing in his mind's eye the young man who followed him about the Galaxy so faithfully. Both with an affection for his Master-and an exasperation for him within those changeling eyes.

"I know-though you seem to have forgotten just how unique he is. In over two hundred and fifty years, no other Jedi has ever caught Master Yoda's eye like he has. No other person can claim to still have that attention. So, what has your paragon of a former Padawan done?" he asked.

"It isn't what he's done that has caused such a stir among the Jedi. Rather, it is the outcome of his decision that has. Obi-Wan is, even now, being expelled from the Jedi Order." This was spoken with sorrow for he knew what it cost his child to have turned his back on everything.

He ached for the son of his heart, but there was nothing he could do for him.

Dooku stared at him, appalled. "Are they truly mad? Have their wits gone begging? Skywalker's entire devotion and loyalty to the Order rests solely upon his Master's shoulders. They might as well gift wrap the boy and hand him over. And what Master Yoda to say to this? It does not seem like the kind of thing he would allow considering all he did to keep Kenobi within the Order.

"Master Yoda was not there when the decision was being argued over. When he had arrived, not even his words could change their stance," he said. "And I though you had no more interest in the Jedi."

"I do not-but even I know a true Force bond when I see it," he replied acidly. "Those two were made for each other-point and counterpoint. Logic to instinctual emotional genius. Rational thought to absolutely brilliant survival skills. Thus, there is balance. Fools, all of them."

Qui-Gon's eyes lit up, understanding at last, "That's what I was seeing and did not get."

"What?"

"It is nothing," he began only to be cut off by a fierce cry of pain and loss. Great enough and powerful enough to bring him to his knees and rend the Force in shreds. "Obi-Wan!" he gasped, fading from sight.

Chilled, Dooku stared out at nothing. Pain twitched through him, filling him up and pushing him out of the apathy that had clung to him ever since Qui-Gon's death. It exploded with the force of a supernova, smashing apart any notions of right and wrong, good and bad, light and dark.

Fear crawled over him and he saw blood. Rivulets, rivers, oceans and streams of blood flowing up from an endless open wound. He bowed his head, acknowledging that it could only mean one thing. Someone-or something-had been hurt, damaged within the Force.

Badly-possibly irreparably.

And he could only fear what it meant for the one who was hurt was Kenobi-Qui-Gon's final words could mean no other. Skywalker's rage would know no bounds-even Sidious would not be immune from it.

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Sidious glanced up from his contemplation of his hands, pondering just what he would do once he got that troublesome Jedi Knight in his grasp. The thought of making him squirm, making him pay for costing him his apprentice made him smile. Torturing him until he screamed, until he bleed from every pore of his worthless body would be just deliciously fun-except he wanted Skywalker on his side, not furious with his for harming Kenobi.

He knew, from observing them, that that would not do at all. The boy was painfully devoted to his Master and would not hesitate to kill _him_ if it came down to that-which would not suit his plans at all.

But merely treating the Jedi as a guest would not serve. Kenobi was nothing if not suspicious and adapt at altering his shields from any perusal-no matter how skilled the seeker.

No, there could be nothing so easy as merely asking him for what he sought.

And yet...he hissed sharply, breathing in exquisite pain as it filled him. Smiling eagerly, he relished the feeling of absolute suffering-then his eyes narrowed. He knew the feel of that pain. On a day that was forever branded in his memory, he'd felt it then until another presence had soothed that ache away.

_Kenobi_.

The man was in pain-and so was his apprentice.

Rising abruptly, he stormed out of his rooms and down the hall, anger discoloring everything about him.

He had been betrayed-and he was not pleased.


	14. Schism

_Author's Note and Thanks: This time travels back, just a little bit, into what the heck happened between the time Yoda ended his call and the pain slammed into the Force. This is just the start of what happened. It gets worse in the next chapter. I would like to thank everyone for their patience with me and this story and say that I am moving it up a rating b/c it just might-just might-get nastier. A special thanks goes out to funyun and Sherlockian Slytherin. Thank you both so much for your support and comments, I couldn't do this without that invaluable aid to me._

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Anakin ended the call with Yoda and sat back, feeling unsure. Something in the Force had been irrevocably altered, changed somehow because of this one thing. It was subtle, only the smallest of changes-and yet, he could feel it. He _knew_ that it promised imminent change, he just didn't know if it was for good.

Or ill.

Unconsciously mimicking his Master, he wrapped his arms about himself, trying to regain the warmth of their bond. Feeling torn between his mother and his Master, he shook himself out of his thoughts and stood up, walking back to the homestead. Obi-Wan would be here soon and together the two of them would figure out what happened-and how to fix it. That is just what they did.

Slightly beyond his line of sight, a pair waited and watched him walking back towards the homestead. "Now?" a voice quietly asked the woman beside him.

"In a moment. We must not allow the alarm to be raised if he does not return," she replied. "It is a shame that we will not be able to see him fight but orders are orders. I'll get paid either way."

Stealthily, preternaturally silent, the two snuck onto the farm grounds, taking care not to trip or destroy the border alarm. From there it was simply a matter of entering the house and moving to the darkened room in the back where their prey slept.

A tiny prick and he slept on, unaware of the hands that moved him. Of the arms that carried him away from his home and out into dark, towards the heart of the Jundland Wastes. As they entered the craft, they were met by a strangely robed female. The Bounty Hunter left her partner to deal with the Lady and walked in, heading straight to where she knew her payment waited.

"Such a beautiful specimen," she purred, a finger running down his face. He shrunk away from it and anger flared within her at his reaction. "Put him in the medical bay so they can begin the…alterations."

"Yes, Lady," he rumbled, shuffling into the room. A doctor waited, her fingers working anxiously. "The Lady says to begin the modifications."

Her lips curled up, blood red in an icy white frame. Her sharp incisors flashed hungrily in the light, picking up on the lingering scent of his emotions. Her crisp accent spoke sharply to her assistants as she ordered them about.

"Doctor, he's waking up." One of the assistants, a young mouse faced girl, warned. It was her job to keep an eye on the patients and give them updates.

"Impossible. That drug is strong enough to put a krayt dragon into a coma. There is no way…" she trailed off, eyes narrowing. Something had changed within the room. It was dangerously charged. Whirling about, she looked at the boy on the bed, sensing the changes came specifically from him.

Anakin's eyelids fluttered and he started to wake up, alarmed. With animalistic grace, he leaped off the table and kicked it at them. Using the Force, he flung the scalpels at them, hitting several of them. Panicked-but unnaturally calmed-he leapt over the table and took down the guards at the door. Using the Force as his guide, he made his way steadily towards the outside.

The Lady came down the hall at the sounds of alarm and saw him, mesmerized by his momentarily. "Get the favorite," she ordered, amazed by his agility. Even though he was weakened by the drug, he was far from lucid-and still, he controlled the entire situation. More importantly, his grip upon his own latent power was incredible-and intoxicating.

But his control of the situation wouldn't last.

It couldn't. The favorite-a woman they'd picked up on some raggedy, barbaric, back water planet-would subdue him. She always did. That was why she was the favorite.

Still, when the two faced off in the narrow hall, doubt came into her mind. The boy fended her off. For every move she made, he countered with two and pressed a definite advantage. So in tune was he with himself, he unconsciously extended it to include those around him-centering mostly upon his opponent. Her body hummed with anticipation, the feelings generated by the boy fed her and she felt the glow of it fill her.

"_Has he been subdued yet_?" an irritated voice asked over the comlink.

"No. He is perfection," she breathed, feeling full for the first time in ages.

"_I thought not. The emotions he is generating has caused quite a feeding frenzy among my associates. It is not time for this. I chose him for his perfection. End the game, Lady, or you will find yourself in the arena as a solution to our problem. We do not have time to waste. That man is coming and I will not have him interfering with my plans for this boy again._"

"As you wish, my liege." The Lady pulled out her blaster and fired at the boy. Not where he was but where she predicted he would be. The poison entered his body, tearing apart the control he exercised over his power and smashed it. Attacking not only him, but his connection to the Force-and tearing into his bond.

Anakin's world narrowed to one, blinding pinpoint of pain. _Master! Help_!

Obi-Wan gasped as searing pain ripped into his mind. _Anakin? Hold on, Padawan mine. I am coming_.

Blackness fogged his mind as it blanketed his vision, blinding him. Up reared an old, old wound, unhealed and forgotten over the years. The agony of his broken bond with Master Jinn flared brilliantly into life, smashing his shields in the wake of the ripples shattering through him as he felt-_literally felt_-Anakin being pulled from his mind.

"Anakin," he whispered, feeling the blood flow freely as their bond was shorn. Falling forward into the arms of the waiting darkness, a keening cry of grief escaped him, unleashing pure hell upon Force sensitives everywhere as the backlash of the bond escaped his iron control.

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Quinlan Vos followed after the Bounty Hunter on Geonosis, appalled by what he found. "It's an army," he breathed, almost shocked by the fact that the man whose genetic coding was used to create the clones-was working for those who were against the Republic.

Against his own numerous kin, though they had been created in a lab.

But he could not be truly shocked for such were the ways of a Bounty Hunter. They lived more for the payment than the hunt and had no sense of fair, honest play. Such single minded devotion to doing one's job would have been commendable if it were not so despicable.

Leaving the darkened catacomb like cave, he stepped out into the light and breathed a sigh of relief. The light bathed him in warmth and purity-it was sheer heaven. Shrugging off such thoughts to prevent himself from being caught off guard, he made his way to his ship and almost called Coruscant. Deciding to wait until he was in a safer location to make that call, he left Geonosis behind, still uncertain as to the identity of the one who had hired Jango Fett.

Yet he knew that the existence of this vast droid army took precedence over the attempts on the Senator's life. For all that she had a voice in the government, this was far more pressing for the danger was to the entire Republic, not just one woman.

The painful shockwave in the Force startled him and his hands rose, instinctively pressing against the sides of his head, trying to block it out. Taking a moment to stop his ship, though he knew it was unwise this close to enemy territory, he sunk deep inside his mind, allowing the pain to rush through him. It was the only way to absorb it and keep hold of his sanity.

Besides, there was something almost familiar about this pain.

It finally subsided and Quinlan woke, grateful to find that he was still alive-and undetected. Heading for the nearest planet, he was shocked to see a ship unlike any he'd ever seen before taking off. Before he could take its measure, they fired upon him and he went careening towards the rocky surface. The last thing he thought before impact with the planet was the swift hope that the news of the droid army would leak out before the Republic was caught off guard and fell head long into the dark.


	15. The Way of The Whills Revealed

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Padmé awoke and looked about, seeing nothing but white walls. Her head was bound up and she found it difficult to move-even if she had wanted to. "You are awake, my Lady," a soft voice said, relieved. "Do you feel up to visitors?"

"Uh?" she started to speak but stopped, her voice painful to her ears. Trying to swallow down needed moisture, she found that it was nearly impossible to do so over the tearing agony. The pain in her throat, it almost felt as though it was trying to strangle her. "Wh?" she tried again, unable to keep silent. Tears sprang to her eyes and forced her into silence once again. Frightened, she looked at the woman, gesturing weakly but wildly with one hand.

The scarred face of the Neti appeared before her, all green and fresh smelling. Honey eyes, soft with concern, met hers and Padmé relaxed, slightly. "Shh, Senator, don't try to talk. I am Dr. Alaris Ho'shan and you must be careful for you are still in transition. The crash destroyed most of your larynx. We were only able to minimize the damage to save what was left of it. There are also several severe burns on you face and body that will need extensive therapy to heal."

Padmé struggled to take in her words, shaking her head and trying to rise. To speak, "No..but…ship…my…" voraciously coughing, blood welled up and splattered all over her hands as she tried to talk. Seeing blood on her hands, staining the white sheets, she panicked and started to shake. "Daddy," she cried out, shaking all over. Her hands reached out as though he would be there to take them.

Flinching only slightly from her reaction, the doctor remained a total professional. Calming her as gently as she could, she wiped off her hands and face. Rechecking her bandages, she spoke softly, "We have sent for your family. They will be here soon. The Chancellor himself has arranged for their transportation." She was soothing in her actions and calmly put a hypo-spray to Padmé's neck and watching as her distress faded into blank sleep.

"How is she?"

"Who are you?" she asked, voice low. She was instantly suspicious that a holo-net reporter had somehow breached the security of the hospital for she had given express orders against any disruptions. Though she was, as all her race, highly Force sensitive, she was rattled by the emotions pouring off of her patient. And somewhere out in the Force was a pair in great pain. Even with her shielding at it's highest, she could feel the anguish of it.

"I am Nobal Naberrie, Padmé's father," he said, holding out the papers for her inspection. "If you require further proof, you may talk to Chancellor Palpatine. He is out in the hall."

Shaking her head as she recognized many features in him that resembled the senator, the doctor could only shrug. "Only time will tell, sir," she replied. "I informed her of her condition, feeling that it was best to get it over with. I thought it best to tell her outright. I'll leave you in here with her. It will do her good to feel a familiar presence, even if she is not yet able to know who they are. I will return after I've seen to my other patients, we shall talk more of her condition then."

Thanking her for her kindness, he sat down beside his daughter, only able to stare at her bandaged face in helpless rage. Clenching his fist, he just stared at the visible burn marks and what was left of her hair, wondering if she'd ever be able to grow it back after it had been burned off. Wondering if there was even a chance for her to recover after this catastrophe.

With an anger he didn't know he was capable of feeling, he fumed silently. He only wished that he could blame those who had been in charge of her security-especially the Jedi for what had happened. They were supposed to be able to foresee such events and prevent them from happening. Under their watchful eye, this kind of tragedy was not supposed to occur.

But he was a fair minded man and knew that he couldn't. The Jedi's body had been found, mangled almost beyond recognition for she had sacrificed her life and her energy to protect those in the ship. Expending all of her talents into the Force, she had protected them as best as she could.

At least she was alive-unlike Senator Antiles and his daughter, Breha. Unlike several of those who had been unfortunate enough to have been on the landing pad when the explosion happened. She had a chance to regain her life while Senator Organa was barely holding onto his life. Even with all the operations he'd undergone, he would never walk again. In comparison to Bail's injuries, her own were minimal.

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Qui-Gon appeared on the ship, looking around for Obi-Wan even as he glanced out the window. Careening towards Tatooine, the ship was traveling far faster than it should have-even one that had been amplified by the Force. He paid it no heed after taking that one look.

One look was enough to pound into his head the reality of the danger that his Padawan was in.

Kneeling down, he tried to reconnect with Obi-Wan, to bring him out of this catatonic shock he'd been sent into. Trying and failing for it seemed that his son was gone.

Simply gone as though he had never been a living soul.

"_What good is it to have this ability if I cannot help anyone_?" he exclaimed, frustrated. "_Obi-Wan, don't do this. Don't. Your Padawan needs you. Do not leave him to despair. You have never yielded in battle before, don't start now. Anakin needs you_."

From somewhere deep inside, Obi-Wan heard the voice, that annoyingly smug, quiet sounding voice that had guided his youth and he wanted to follow it as he had always done. But Anakin was here, somewhere in the darkness and he came first.

Qui-Gon felt it, the tiny flicker and prodded incessantly. "_Wake up, my Padawan. You cannot continue to sleep this way. Get up_!" He ordered, voice rising as he saw the surface of the planet coming ever closer.

"_Obi-Wan, you'll be killed if you don't stop this insanity! How will you help Anakin then? Stop thinking of the pain and focus on the here and now. The pain doesn't matter, Anakin does_."

_Anakin_? Obi-Wan clung to the thought, sending out an _I'm coming, my Padawan_ to the one tendril of their bond that clung tenaciously to life-that wouldn't give up. He had to, feeling the desperate grasp that came after him as he slowly withdrew from the Force's deep currents. Opening his eyes reluctantly, mind splintered with pain, his eyes met the worried light blue of Qui-Gon Jinn's own.

Snapping his eyes closed against the sight, Obi-Wan waited a beat before chancing another look. Much to his dismay, the image remained. "I have failed you, Anakin," he brokenly whispered. His shoulders hunched and he curled in on himself, trying to hug himself for comfort-though his mind was slowly taking in several facts that defied his current belief that he was truly gone from the world.

"_Not yet, Padawan mine, but if you don't pull this ship free from the Force, you will_." An undoubtedly relieved Qui-Gon announced, sitting back on his heels. He was rather happy that he'd managed to do this after so long of trying to reach his stubborn and hard headed Padawan. It was almost more than he could believe, that he was having a conversation with his child once more. "_I thought I had lost you, boy_," he couldn't stop himself from adding.

"Since I am dead, that can hardly be the case," he replied dryly. Idly, he wondered why he could still feel pain if he was dead. Wasn't death supposed to relieve one of all burdens? But, he was in pain and could feel the blood on his face from the pain when the bond broke. Yet, this couldn't possibly be real. Could it?

"_You are **not** dead_."

"Then I must have lost my mind for you could not be here for any other reason."

"_Obi-Wan, stop doubting what is going on. You can figure it out later. For now, just believe me when I saw that you are neither dead nor are you insane. Your eyes do not deceive you in this. I am really here before you. Now, for Anakin's sake and your own, pull out_!"

Slowly sitting up, he looked at his Master. It certainly sounded and looked like Qui-Gon Jinn. Still, this was some trick. The dead simply did not come back to life. It was a well known fact-there was no death, only the Force. "You are really here."

Letting out an exasperated sigh, he nodded. "_Yes_," he added for Obi-Wan's benefit.

"This is not a delusion," Obi-Wan said, as though he were talking of the weather and not something that defied everything they knew. "Because, of course, we as Jedi always sought to destroy the natural order of things. We've always denied death its place."

"_I am not denying or destroying anything. Stop searching for the logic in this, Padawan. Pull out before it is too late_."

Deciding to humor his imaginary companion, Obi-Wan slowly pulled himself out of the Force and out of the ship's engines. Almost instantly, he could feel the violent rocking of the ship. The stomach churning dive they were in-and leapt to his feet, grabbing onto the controls.

Ignoring the way he felt-the ill and dizzy feelings that pressed upon him, threatening to unbalance him yet again-he guided the craft out of its suicidal fall. Calling upon a skill he hadn't used since taking Anakin on as a Padawan, he leveled the ship and guided it around, seeking a suitable place to land.

"_Relax, Padawan, you are safe_."

Obi-Wan glared, "And thanks to your infernal meddling, Anakin is not. If you've got nothing _useful_ to do, will you leave? I must find my Padawan and bring him home."

"_Padawan_," Qui-Gon said, standing up and approaching him.

"Don't '_Padawan_' me, Master Jinn. If you had to meddle in our affairs, could you not have arranged for us to be together as opposed to separated and saved us this foolishness?"

"_You would be in danger yourself if I had_."

"You don't know that-and by your own words, you underestimated the situation on Tatooine. Your vision has always been in the Living Force, mine has always been the Universal. Had I been with Anakin, his burden would've been lessened and he would not be torn. The two of us could've faced the problems together."

"_And you would still be a Jedi Knight_," he softly added.

Obi-Wan's eyes closed briefly in pain. "True but I do not regret it. It is a small price to pay to have Anakin safe, Master. He has become my dearest friend and truest companion. I can honestly say that I have never been closer to another person-even you. If I must lose the Jedi in order to ensure that he is alive and well, I will do it."

"_Through him you have truly become the Jedi I saw in you so long ago. Be careful, Obi-Wan. Your emotions do you credit but they may also be your downfall_."

"Thank you for your counsel, Master. I will do nothing that will endanger Anakin-or make me unworthy of his continued friendship."

Scanning the land, he focused on finding a trace of Anakin. The pain flared so brightly and violently, he had to pull back and refocus on something else, something close to his Padawan but not so dangerous. And then he realized, he had to find Shmi Skywalker Lars. Refocusing on the planet, on searching for anything that seemed familiar, he soon found himself drawn by the gentle touch of the Force to her. Anakin's mother was almost as beautiful a light in the Force as her son. But there was something very troubling about her signature-there was a darker presence near her, almost threatening her in some way.

Qui-Gon sighed, and sat beside him. "_I must leave you for a time, my Padawan. There are others who need my guidance_."

_Not surprising_, Obi-Wan thought, nodding in understanding. "I shall see you again, right?"

"_My task in not yet finished. While I must depart for a time, I shall not desert you_."

"Except for now," Obi-Wan muttered after he'd left. With a sigh, he rubbed his face and winced as he touched the bruises that were solidifying there. Obviously, the breaking of the bond he shared with Anakin had been more shattering physically than he'd previously believed. It hurt far more than losing Master Jinn ever had. He'd heard about Force bonds like this and it worried him to be feeling the backlash of it. For it confirmed his fear that their bond had been stronger than any had ever suspected.

Shaking off the residual pain as best as he could, he made to land and decided to let the navigational computer handle it. After all, it would never do to meet his Padawan's mother covered in blood and grime-and worry.

"_Master, my mother won't care what you look like, so long as you care about me_."

Heart clenching in his chest as the whisper like call of his Padawan came to him, he winced in pain. He shook his head, unable to deny the conversation, imaginary though it may have been. There was comfort in the familiar feel, the familiar sound of his Padawan. _That may be, my friend, but one should still be at one's best if one wishes to ask for help. Besides, what is she to think of how I treat you if I do not look like I care at all for my own appearance_?

"_I'd accuse your of being vain but I know you are anything but._"

_A Jedi does not need vanity_.

"_Yeah. I knew you were going to say that. Master, I hurt inside. And I'm…cold. I'm just so cold. I…I…I can't feel the Force anymore, Master. They've taken it away from me!_"

The sudden change in his voice, the sound of tears in tone, startled Obi-Wan out of his lethargy. For the first time, he actually considered the fact that their conversation may not have just been wishful thinking. If they were really talking, then Anakin might not be as far gone as the broken bond implied _Hang on, Anakin, I'm coming. Padawan, I shall not let you go_.

Anakin slowly regained consciousness as he was poked and prodded by alien hands. Tentatively, he reached out, shocked back into unconsciousness when he felt…nothing. His connection…his communion the Force…to his Master, it was gone. Only a weeping wound remained and it tore into his mind continually.

The scientist frowned, unhappy. This was not a normal reaction for those modified-and she knew having perfected this experiment herself. Many of her _patients_ had been these so called Force sensitive beings that populated this strange Galaxy. It puzzled her that this would be so.

Sure, there was some discomfort, even some rage but no one else had been so…so…startlingly empty of life entirely after her experiments had been conducted. The boy lay there, unmoving, pale and still as death, only flinching when someone poked or prodded him. Tapping her cheek, she wondered if it could do with the fact that he was much stronger in this Force than the others had been.

Still, there was something keeping the boy from fully accepting the modifications. It bothered her, this failure on her part to fully integrate it into him. It was odd, how empty he seemed. And yet, for all the lack of even moderate life signs, there was something in him, something that contradicted what her eyes were seeing.

It was almost as if he was deadened to what was around him, to the life within him and yet, he was still connected in some way to the Force.

Striding out of the room, she spied Aurra Sing. "Take him to the arena. I want him broken."

Aurra looked up from her bow, smirking. "Hasn't he broken already? It doesn't usually take you much to break these…degenerates."

"This one is different. Stronger in ways that the others were not. There is something within that sets him apart from the others we've had here."

"That boy is just like the others," Aurra sneered, "Though he is more emotional and prone to outbursts of passionate recklessness." _Must have driven my former Master mad that she couldn't break him_, she thought vindictively. Her hands curled about the bow momentarily, enraged that she had been denied the chance to get her revenge on the woman who had called her Padawan and daughter, then betrayed her to this life.

The doctor's head shook. "Do not speak of that which you do not understand. I worked under another scientist who also experimented upon these so called Jedi. My teacher, Jenna Zan Arbor, was studying the way the Force worked, trying to break through the genetic coding of the Jedi. She was particularly amazed by the strength of on."

"I know this story. She captured Master Jinn—who survived her experiments against all odds. Who recovered with amazing strength and perspicacity and arrested her, making sure that she was exiled upon some penal colony," she interrupted, mocking the story. "Master Jinn is quite the character, but no big deal as far as Jedi go. I fought and defeated him-in honest combat no less."

"I know of Master Jinn but do not see him as the reason for Dr. Arbor's fascination. Once she escaped, she never sought me. So, I never went after her. No. It wasn't Master Jinn that caught her eye. It was another one, another Jedi. One who was close to the Master Jedi. She wished to see, to work on the one whose presence was bound to him. The one whose presence I recognize on that boy."

"Ah, you mean Obi-Wan Kenobi," she said, trying to sound nonchalant-it was anything but the truth. Of all the Jedi, his was the name most of the Bounty Hunters knew-and feared. For he had done what they all thought impossible-he had brought down a Zabrak assassin of the highest quality. And not just a common assassin at that. The Zabrak had been a fully trained Sith warrior. Certainly not up to the rank and power of his Master-few were as good as Sidious-but he was still a force to be reckoned with.

"Why the fear?" the doctor picked up on her undertone anyway.

Aurra fondled the knife she pulled from her pocket casually, noticing the slight flinch of her companion. A smirk crossed her face, "Obi-Wan Kenobi is the only Jedi to go up against a fully trained Sith warrior-a warrior with a most impressive record of kills I might add-and not only survive, but defeat him. He is…one that should never be treated lightly."

"Then why did we take this boy if he is known to this Kenobi?"

"The Lady Vergere ordered it-and Ventress, while an angry soul, is broken and can no longer feed the people of this colony. This brat was born with a gift of rage and deep seated anger. It is limitless and perfect-at least, according to her it is. Lady Vergere believes it is worth it."

The doctor was silent but her look to Aurra said it all. The Lady Vergere was a fool.

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_Author's Note: I'm not sure how much time I'll be spending with_ _Padmé and company. But I felt that she would not leave as she did in the movie. So, Sidious' game plan had to change. Since the man has a mind like a spider, he has myriads of them. This is just one of the ways he's going to try to make a point. Hope no one objects to much. (And I sincerely hope I can pull off all of these changes adequately.)_


	16. I Will Destroy You

_Author's Note and Thanks: Short update. Sorry to say that I've been bitten by both RL and other stories. sighs I've been trying to work on this (and amazingly, I have another chapter in the works) and I thank you guys for your continual support and patience with me. Thanks to Faithful Cherry Blossom (I hope it will, I need all the help I can get. Thanks), Lea Nikkaya (Vergere actually wasn't killed b/c she meets Jacen Solo and is the one who helped Mara give birth to Ben when she was poisoned. Yes, Asajj is here. She was captured by these aliens on one of their journeys through the GFFA, No one wants Obi-Wan dead, though they are highly intrigued by him), Lincoln Six Echo (Hi! Thanks, Obi-Wan and Anakin are difficult here-especially since they aren't even together in the same space!), and LightSaber101 (I would've replied to your PM but my e-mail is being stupid. shakes head I'm sure you understand that. Hope this chapter (small though it is) lives up to the wait.)_

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The Dark Woman rose and saddled her bantha, intent on her goal. It was quite clear to her that they could no longer rely upon the boy to behave like the Chosen One that he was. Someone needed to take him firmly in hand and make him face up to the reality of who and what he was. Obi-Wan was not up to that task, if ever he was-and she knew he was not. That left her to the task.

Silent as a shadow, she left, ignoring the sight of Sharad Hett curled around himself, rocking and shaking in stunned pain. What he was going through did not concern her at all. Quickly, she overtook Bob and his companions. Dismissing them from mind as another unimportant matter, she traveled on, ignoring the shriek of pain in the Force, accepting it for what it was.

As the suns crested the sky, she arrived at the homestead and switched off the barrier field until she passed through it. It would not do to let in the Tusken Raiders who had become the enemies of Hett's tribe. That boy was stubborn enough. If this worthless family meant something to him, she supposed that she should keep them safe. And she was a Jedi Master. Near the front of the house's main pit, she dismounted and walked down the stairs, rapping sharply on the door.

Pushing back the covers with a yawn, Shmi rose reluctantly and pulled on her robe, pausing to kiss Cliegg's cheek before going to the door. Irritated by the way she had been woken from a pleasant sleep, she shrugged it off. There was no point in allowing herself such a useless emotion for it would do nothing more than ruin her day.

And it was almost time for her to be up anyway. Opening the door after checking to make sure the alarm was still connected, she saw a woman with pale hair and, for a resident of Tatooine, impossibly white skin. It was almost as if the woman had never seen the suns before. She stood there, coldly staring at Shmi and though she consciously recognized the Force in this woman the same way as she had with Master Jinn, she did not like her at all.

"I've come for that brat of yours. I trust that he has recovered sufficiently from his irrational and childish temper tantrum and is ready to act like a reasonable adult." The voice was cold, full of a stern authority that chilled Shmi to hear it.

Shmi stared at her for a moment and then closed the door in her face.

The Dark Woman was startled by this action to say the least. Tightening her lips, she knocked on the door again, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for it to open again. "It is apparent where that child of yours learned such…impeccable manners. The both of you have much to learn when it comes to dealing with a Master Jedi."

Before she could finish, the door closed again.

Thoroughly vexed by Shmi's behavior now, she knocked again. Harshly. "Now, look here…"

"No," Shmi calmly interrupted her, not flinching away from the evil look she got. "I do not know who you are-nor do I care to. Your manner is as unappealing as the words you speak condemning. If my son has taken offense to your manner, I can truly say that I understand why completely. There is nothing in you to find appealing-and I do not believe that you are much of a Jedi Master. I have met a true Master before-and he knows what it means to be a servant of the Force. I see no such understanding in you."

"How dare you?"

"How dare you?" she countered evenly, unflinching. "How dare you come to my home and insult my son with your unfeeling words? How dare you then insult me? How dare you act in a manner that clearly shows your arrogance and lack of comprehension about the central tenet of your own beliefs? How dare you claim to be a compassionate being, yet show neither compassion nor even a trace of it within your heart? I do not have to put up with this kind of abuse-even if this was not my home. You have no right to treat me as though I am less than you, doing so only reveals what a sad and pathetic woman you are. As I told my son, tearing down another to prove that you are a better person then they does no such thing. It only reveals a very shallow depth within you. You will remove yourself from my property-or I shall remove you."

"You can't do that," the Dark Woman sneered, her arms crossing over her chest as she stared at her, a challenge clearly written in her eyes.

Shmi's eyebrow rose at that and she stepped out, moving about her to grab her by the nape. Picking her up, she forcibly marched the woman up the stairs. Without breaking stride, she calmly walked beyond the barrier and tossed her out. "Good morrow to you," she added as she turned and began to walk back to the homestead, adding thoughtfully, "Though you do not deserve it."

The sound of a ship arriving stopped her in her tracks and she turned around, shielding her eyes from the suns' twin glares. This was such a curious happening, she decided to wait. After a moment, it landed and a slender man with reddish gold hair descended. A weary smile crossed his bearded and bruised face. Still, his bow was gracious.

Shmi felt her heart go out to him, returning the bow. The poor man looked like he had been through a hellish ride-and he looked vaguely familiar to her, though she could not say for sure why.

"Are you Shmi Skywalker Lars?" he asked, his voice sounded both harsh and infinitely gentle.

"Yes I am," she replied, feeling only momentarily concerned by his knowing who she was.

"It is an honor to meet you at last, gracious lady. I am…" he started, cut off when the Dark Woman turned on him.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," she hissed. "I might have known."

Grey eyes looked towards her, a pained confusion in them. "I'm sorry but do I know you?"

"Of course you wouldn't for your Master unwisely shielded you from me. Had the Jedi Council listened to my words-my counsel after what you did to your Master on Melida/Daan, you would have been sent away. Or they would have remanded you to my care since they decided that you were to important to lose. I would have cured you of your still obvious flaws for they are not worthy in a Jedi."

Shmi watched curiously as he flinched away from the dark Jedi before it seemed like recognition dawned in his eyes. "Master An'Yo Kuro," he flatly said.

"That name is nothing to me for it represents a foolish possession, something that is unworthy and unneeded in a true servant of the Force," she replied, though she did not deny her name.

"What did you do to Anakin?" he asked, apprehensive. Though he respected this woman and honored her for her hard work, he had fought many times with the Jedi Council to keep his Padawan from being sent away to her. Seeing her before him, he felt again the flare of the broken bond between them. This woman was an extremist and would stop at nothing to _cure_ those who fell into her hands. It was why he had struggled for so long to keep Anakin from her.

Had he known that she was on Tatooine, he never would have allowed Anakin to come here-Council's orders or not.

"Precious little compared to what I should have had the opportunity to had the boy not been so deluded by _you_," she scornfully retorted. "I did not get a chance to start fixing the mess you made of him by your ineptness at handling the Chosen One. And this _female's_ obvious attachment to him does little to eradicate the damage that has been continually fostered and harvested within him."

"This female, as you call her, is his mother. She deserves neither your derision nor your scorn for her love for Anakin," he icily said. "And I will remind you that his name is _Anakin_. While you have no desire to have an identity-and I am beginning to see why-he does. I will thank you to stop referring to him as though he is a thing. He is a Jedi. But more importantly, he is a person, not some esoteric title."

"And therein is the lie you fed him. He is not a Jedi. He is not a person, he is the Chosen One. He should not live with the delusion that he is anything less than a weapon to be used by the Force. The Chosen One he is-and therefore, merely a tool for use in the hands of the Jedi."

There was a moment when Shmi thought that Obi-Wan's control would shatter. A thin telltale tick at his cheek revealed his anger at the woman's insistence on taking away her son's identity and his soul. Looking at him, she saw what Ani saw in him.

A man who controlled his emotions but felt them deeply-and he cared.

Obi-Wan breathed deeply and released his tension, his anger. He could not afford to let them get the best of him. They would be a detriment to him now, not an aid. As much as he wished to let go, it would only confirm what she thought of him. And now that he was no longer a Jedi, he feared that Anakin would fall into her care. That was something he would never allow.

Very quietly he addressed her, "You contradict yourself with those words, An'Yo Kuro, for they flaunt your own arrogance and pride in this legend that has become associated with Anakin. While I have heard those words spoken many times, I have never heard them spoken with such conviction that it borders on absolute conceit. You have become that which you have preached against. Turning away from the Force's will and believing that your way is the only way to serve the Force. It is blind arrogance on your part to disavow anyone else's beliefs on how to serve the Force."

"Being that which the Jedi Council walk? Or your own haughty path?" she sneered.

"No," he quietly replied. "There is no one, true path to serving the Force. I do not claim that my way is the only way, nor will I say the same of the Jedi Council. To do so would be wrong and supercilious of me. But I do know this-the Force is not exclusive, it is inclusive. I learned this from my Padawan. While I have often struggled with this and do not have the same level of understanding that Master Jinn and Anakin have, I know this-we learn from all. By shutting out experience with others, by denying them their voice and soul, we deny ourselves the truth of the Force. I have become a better person because of Anakin."

"Master Kenobi, please, come in," Shmi invited, hearing the devoted love for her son in his voice. The man radiated it from inside and it reached outwards, covering the surface of Tatooine with it's truth. All her doubts about him were laid aside in the face of this bald truth. He was truly a man worthy of her son's admiration.

"Thank you, Mrs. Lars. I wish to see Anakin once more for he worried me with his call," he smiled tiredly, nearly toppling over in his exhaustion. "But I do believe that my wish is not to be granted."

Her arm instantly went about him, helping him to walk. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"There is an empty space in my mind where Anakin used to be," he softly replied. "I fear what it means for I have not felt such a void since I lost my Master."

"_OBI-WAN!_"

They both heard the warning cry and turned, the Jedi instantly moving Shmi behind him as the Dark Woman leapt at him, lightsaber drawn. "You are a disease, Kenobi. A weak taint upon the Force," she declared. "I will do what I must to purify the Force and the Chosen One from your destructive impunity."

Their lightsabers clashed and Obi-Wan grunted as pain and shock traveled through him. Her own feelings of disdain and enmity against him added strength to the blow. She struck him again and he flinched back, barely managing to deflect it. "Stop this insanity. I will not fight you for it is not the will of the Force. Why can you not hear it?"

"You will fight me or you will die like the coward you are."

Blocking her swing, he lead her well away from Shmi, unable to let the woman hurt Anakin's mother even to spare himself further pain. Not only was that against his nature-it would hurt Anakin. Her deceptively wild blows kept him off balance, forcing him to switch between all the lightsaber forms that he knew until he could find his feet in the balance of Soresu. "Can you not hear the Force speaking to you any longer? What has driven you away from the Force like this?"

"Nothing has driven me away-unlike you who was never worthy enough for the call of Mastery." Leaping over him, she struck at his back. It only singed his robe when he slipped away, dropping the robe to the side for it was only in the way now.

Understanding dawned in his eyes and he knew the cause of her anger. He had to try to reach her, to bring her back from the edge of the darkness. A spirit like hers should not be lost this way. Stepping further away from her, he allowed the Force to fill him, giving him the words to speak. "Grief over your Padawan's loss has twisted your mind and heart until you can no longer hear the Force. The bond between the two of you still lives and she is driving you away from the path that you have always loved into the darkness that she walks. The Force does not want this anguish for you, An'Yo Kuro. The Force wants you to come home, you know this. You know that this is not the path for you to take. This is not what you want to be."

"LIAR!" She charged once again, blind and deaf to all but the thrumming sound in her veins that drowned his truth. That drowned the Force's call.

Obi-Wan shivered, hearing the cry of the Dark Side filling her as it had done for years. A cry she could not hear, lost in grief and hatred for what she had allowed her Padawan to become. "Let it go, An'Yo Kuro. If a servant to the Force you would be, let go of that which holds you captive and refuses to allow you to see as once you did."

"SHUT UP!"

"_Obi-Wan, end her misery. She is to far gone for you to heal her. Send her home and allow the Force to bring her peace._"

"_But…I cannot do that. She is still innocent, still has a chance to come back without resorting to killing her._"

"_It would be merciful for you to free her from her living torment. She is in living pain and it is harming all she comes into contact with. It is better to release her into the Force and allow the Force to bring her into the light than to allow her to suffer and harm countless others. It is your compassion that will help her find her way back once she is at peace._"

"I will do what I must," he softly promised, deeply agonized over this choice foisted upon him. With those words, he was fully committed to doing his best in this battle against her. Under the firmness of voice was an agony so deep that Shmi shivered to hear it and turned away from them. She could not watch-and yet, she knew that she must. He owed it to have someone be there who would support him, even if it was only silent support.

Still, he could not relinquish her so easily into the darkness. He would not be able to live with himself if he did not continue to try to reach her. To let her fall and not do a thing to stop it, was something that he could not contemplate. "An'Yo Kuro, it does not have to be this way between us. It should not be this way for though our paths are different, we have the same goals. The both of us wish to serve the Force to the best of our abilities, my Lady. Let go of your own idea of what service to the Force has to be and let the Force guide your path."

"There is no error in me, Kenobi. It is you that has the error and stain of impunity. It is you who needs to return to the right path. You've gone to the Dark Side and you do not know it. You do not see the way it clings to you and all you do. I will not allow you to poison the Chosen One any longer."

Obi-Wan recoiled away, knowing what she was trying to do but unable to release his anger into the Force at her attitude. He was unable to release it upon her either. Her fixation upon Anakin and his supposed title was downright unhealthy-and obsessive. It was frightening and worrisome. He wished he knew just what had happened to Aurra that twisted her mind and soul so badly. "I told you before. May be one day you will understand this simple truth-he is more than a title. He is Anakin Skywalker."

"A Jedi has no possessions-nor need for a name," she replied, following him.

Sand flew up as Obi-Wan whirled about, avoiding another blow. His hand rose, blocking the sand she threw up into his eyes.

Shmi watched them. This whole battle seemed surreal to her and yet, she stood, captivated by their smooth motions as the sand flowed about them. Even more compelling was the words they spoke, how neither gave ground, though obi-Wan only wanted to save her. This woman seemed to be certain that she was right about her beliefs-and would not listen to anything he said to her. For the first time, she felt pity for the dark robed master.

"That is your belief, An'Yo Kuro. But even you have a name," he parried her blow even as he said this. "All beings have names, have identities, whether we chose to use them or not."

"I have disavowed my name," she replied, blocking the thrust.

"And yet you bear a name all the same-a name that easily translates back into your own." Breathing deeply, the Jedi finally gave up. This battle would never be won and he fully let go and immersed himself completely in the Force's flow. No longer alone in this battle, he was full of peace and awareness of all that was around him. He was a part of the Dark Woman herself and could feel her confused anguish. Feeling it, he knew that the only peace she would find is in the Force-as he had been told.

The Dark Woman felt the shift in him, in the Force. Where once he seemed normal, almost bland for a Jedi even, the man was now radiating pure luminescence. All sides of the Force reflected outwards from him and she stared, allowing her attack to soften, granting her a moment to take in the change.

And now, there was startled fear in her for she knew what he was-knew _who_ he was, though he remained supremely unaware of this revelation.

The moment of clarity passed and anger colored her vision again. That such as he-this rebel child of that wretched Gray Jedi, this mediocre nonentity-was chosen for this most honored task, enraged and inflamed her senses. Abandoning herself at last to the passions within, she pressed her advantage. He met every one of her blows calmly and without fail.

The battle finally ended in the only way it could. Obi-Wan slid into unconsciousness, unable to bear remaining conscious any longer. The raw and ragged wound of the severed bond tore into his mind, ripping shards out of his soul as it did so.

Shmi rushed to the falling man and it was only then that she realized that Cliegg had come outside. With his help, they moved the Jedi into the house and back towards Anakin's room. The emptiness of it should have surprised her-but it did not for the Jedi's words rang in her mind once more.

A clarion call that something had happened to her Ani.

She would not allow fear to control her. Bathing and tending to Obi-Wan's wounds, she focused on him. He was here and needed aid, while Anakin was out of her reach. Only the Jedi Master could find him now and after hearing him defend Ani with all his soul, she knew that her son would be safe.

She just hoped that Obi-Wan would be.


	17. Anakin Alone?

_Author's Note and Thanks: I am so very sorry for the long pause in updates. Things have been hectic at work, and I got bit by another story that demanded most of my attention. Now that it's out of the way, I will be devoting more time to finishing this one. I do apologize for my long silence. It was not my intention to let this story go so long iwthout an update or anything. Things just have a tendency to get out of hands at times, you know? I offer my sincerest apologies for the shortness of this chapter and want to warn my readers that some of the things that happen in it may make one feel very rather uncomfortable. Unfortunately, this is what Anakin is going through at the moment. I thank all of my patient readers and reviewers for their long suffering with me as I've muddled through both RL and my work to write this story. Thanks especially to, Booklover Fanatic, Project Dark Overlord, Mekaratanshu, and AquaRias. Thanks for the encouragement and your patience. I am trying to get this work done, I just can't say when it will be completed. I just know that it will be._

**WARNING:** The things that happen in this chapter, I've been told, can make one feel sick to their stomach. It is very disturbing what Anakin is going through. Please, be aware that there is some dark imagery (if that's even the word I'm looking for) going on as he's being held by these beings.

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Anakin blinked, trying to focus, and then his eyes went wide as he was flung into a dark place. The sand slammed into his skin, tearing into it like glass. It was sand unlike any he'd ever encountered-and hurt far worse than the burning sands of Tatooine. Roaring filled his ears and he shook his head, trying to clear it.

The sound only grew louder, harsher, more intense.

Sharp pain lanced through his mind as he tried to build shields against it. Stumbling to his feet, he reached blindly out for support and found only more sharpness, more pain. More confusion surrounded him in this dank, unfeeling place and he felt frustrated with his inability to find stillness within, to find peace as he had learned to.

Anger dampened his vision as weakness continued to dog him. Tired and sore, pained and confused by all that had happened to him, he let it fill him. Let all that had happed to him in the past few days – no, the weeks since arriving on Tatooine come back to him. He wanted his mother's comforting smile and the laugher of his new found family. He wanted his Master back in his mind – _where he belonged_, not far from away from him. Anything, he'd give anything to hear Obi-Wan scolding him for something, all the while gracing him with his silent and steady affection.

And it would not come back to him for these…these _insolent, wretched_ _pigs_ stole it all away from him. They stole it from him as though his family, his home was nothing to them. As though he was still a slave for others to play around with. As though he did not matter. The sheer arrogance of their assumption chilled him, enraged him.

Just who did they think they were anyway?

Waves of frustrated anger emanated from him, focused and slammed into the walls around him. Strength flowed into him suddenly and he found that he could push back the pain. That he could use his rage to protect his mind from it all. Standing upright in the middle of the unknown, he looked around him and saw eyes in the darkness, thousands of hungry, glowing eyes staring down at him.

The thought came to his mind that they were _devouring_ him.

Lashing out, he was exalted to see the eyes go dark. His smile was positively gleeful as he heard what he thought were shrieks of agony. _Good_, he thought vindictively, _they deserve it. They deserve far worse than this for what they have done to me_. Another wave of power erupted from him, smashing past more barriers and the structure shook, rocked beneath his feet. More screams sounded, this time from much farther in the ship, much farther away from him.

'_I love you_…'

The words came into his mind and he stopped at the sound, appalled at what he'd done. His hands dropped to his side as he clearly heard Obi-Wan's voice in his mind, surrounding him. Tears came into his eyes at how easily he'd given in. How easily he'd failed his Master. He had failed to be true to his Master's belief and love in him. Had failed to hold to the faith his Master had in him.

Sinking to his knees, shaking with regret, he bowed his head, unwilling to let these beings see them. See the tears he was shedding. Shivering sobs of regret tore out of him. Chocked and silent in the room, made all the more agonizing for this silence. _Master_, he pleaded, trying to reach out for him, though he knew it was futile. Hopeless to receive an answer, _forgive me for this weakness. I'm sorry – so sorry_.

The blow to his right side left him gasping for breath, as did the repetitive kicks that followed. He only curled about himself, unwilling to rise and fight. After what had just happened, he couldn't take the chance that it wouldn't happen again. It had been so easy, _far too easy_, to yield to that anger that grew in him. He just _couldn't_ fail Obi-Wan again.

If only he could _think_…

"Get up, you fool of a Jedi. Get up," a decidedly female voice snarled at him. Grasping his braid, she jerked his head, watching as it bobbed. Letting go, she used all the strength in one hand to shove him over, watching him slam into the wall. "You do no credit to your Order. Weakling." Her taunts flew at him, fast and furious, like her blows.

Finally, his head rose and he stared at her, haunted eyes chilling her. "I would be a worse failure if I were to fight you like this. You are in the same place as I." His voice was lackluster, speaking volumes as his head dropped back down, crawling into his mind once more.

The fighter was enraged by this and Force slammed him into the wall again. She beat him, trying to get him to move, to fight back. And he would not, slipping at last into a bloody sleep. Dropping to her knees, she whispered in his ear, "I will break you, boy Jedi, for only then will I find my peace."

Anakin twitched, hearing the words. But he was lost to it, searching for his light. It had to be there somewhere. After all, they had both used the Force. She to hurt him. And he to hurt the strangers about him. Hadn't they? _Master, are you there_?

The scientist growled, frustrated. Even Aurra was surprised by his resiliency after that first slip up. It was unusual, admirable even. "What just happened in there?" she asked – demanded – stalking off to think. "Leave him," the order was snapped out as the guards made to move him from the arena into the pen.

"But no one has ever stayed in the arena. It's lethal," he protested automatically. The amber eyes flared briefly, feeling the repercussions in the room. But the euphoria was flawed by the hint of something else that he did not understand.

"Are you questioning me? Because you can easily join him," she said, whirling about to look at him, challenging him to defy her. They stood there, tense with silence in the hallway, neither looking away. She held him pinned with her icy gaze, allowing him no reprieve. The minutes ticked by and she did not move, staring at him with depthless eyes.

Finally, she spoke again. Her voice was emotionless, precise – perfect in pitch and tone. He flinched back, feeling every inch like the idiot child she was addressing. "That boy is your meal. He is the best source of food for you right now. Ventress is almost used up. If the treatment does not take soon, he will be of no use for you and your people. Do you wish that? Do you wish to starve?"

Without waiting for his answer, she turned and went back to her lab.

Aurra followed after her more slowly, feeling something being snapped within her. There was heat and passionate rage…then there was silence. "Mother," she whispered, shocked at the loss of the constant, quiet companion she'd always had. And though her heart was hard with hatred for the woman who had so easily betrayed her. For the fact that she had so easily abandoned her to this life that her anger remained keen even to this day, she felt tears fall down her cheeks.

Her mother was gone – gone by the hands of one who had no right to take her away.

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Anakin shivered, awakening slowly, cold beyond belief. Beyond any recollection he'd ever had, even when he'd been surrounded by the permanent snows of Ilum, he'd not felt this cold. The chill seeped into him, freezing the very heart within him. He hadn't been this cold – ever. The fire inside that had always burned within him was silent and still. It was there, he knew it was there somewhere, and prodded about, trying to search for it in his memory, trying to recapture that warmth.

Shivering again in the cold, he turned his thoughts inward to where it had always been. Blazing no longer like the suns, it was dark and cold inside. Quite dead in fact. Curling even tighter about himself, he stayed still, drifting off into an uneasy sleep.

_You are meant for the dark, child. Haven't you realized this yet, bright though you are? The dark and no other will accept you with all your imperfections and oddities. You, child, are not normal. You are a hideous blight. A disgrace – a waste of space and the light does not want you. It cannot bear to see you_.

Anakin gulped, trying to ignore the sibilant voice that spoke to him from every corner of his mind.

_That whom you call angel fears you and does not think you worthy of even the minimalist of looks. She laughs at your foolish fancy over her. Your childish look and mocks your pathetic infatuation with her. An angel would never look upon a demon such as you with anything but revulsion. You are nothing to her_.

_No_, he denied, shaking his head slightly, _no_. Briefly he wondered if he could clasp his hands about his ears and drown out the voice, crush it out of his head if he pressed down hard enough. His own fears had been this but he'd seen Padmé's kindness, her friendly affection. She was not like this at all. She couldn't be.

_Yes – yes. And your mother is ashamed of you. In her yes, you are an embarrassment. A mark of her shameful past. She sent you with the Jedi to be rid of you and your troublesome ways. To be rid of your fits and starts, your ridiculous beliefs about yourself_.

Whimpering away, tears escaped his eyes as his head shook earnestly now. Trying to wake himself up, he felt the ground scrape his skin, fearing that this was no dream – but real. _No_, he denied, more firmly for he knew his mother. Knew that she loved him, _not true_. Never true of his mother – it was love. Her love for him had given her the strength to let him go, to be free.

Love – not shame.

_Then why did she never write to you? Why did she not visit you? Why did she never try to reach you after she was freed_?

_She didn't know that she could_, he determinedly fought back. There was no weakness in his own tone, his own feelings. _I was safe, I was with the Jedi. My mother knew this, knew that I had a new life. She did not write to me to allow me to be at peace, to allow me to start a new life, away from the bad memories of slavery_.

_You could be right there. She might not have wanted to burden you_.

Anakin despised the supercilious tone in that voice. Hated the sound of assurance the voice had that he was only a foolish boy for believing in his mother. A child that did not know anything at all – those who were his peers had often treated him the same way.

_Then may be it's Cliegg who hates you, despises you for being the first in her life. May be he resents you for existing. Do you think he would have freed you with her had you still been there? Somehow, I think not. All you are is trouble and a terrible blemish upon the lovely woman he calls wife and lover_.

Cliegg's genial face flashed before him, suddenly harsh and unwilling to see him as anything more than a distasteful part of his wife's life. Distrust darkened Cliegg's eyes as he stared at him, telling him without words that he was unwanted, that he was worthless. Anakin flinched back from the sight, finding no words to use to fight back.

All he could do was shake his head in denial.

_And Owen surely does not appreciate you coming into his life, taking his place in Shmi's life. That place of honor in her heart – to be called beloved son – is not your own. It never has been. You aren't fit to be hers, you know. He is the true son of her heart – and deserves it more than you do_.

_Stop_, he pleaded, _just stop_.

_As for Beru, I would imagine that she must be terrifically offended to be marrying into a family that has _you_ attached to it. While she may find you pleasant to look at, that is all you really have going for you. You are worthless, they all can see it_.

The door opened and a figure appeared, walking towards him. At first he thought his salvation was here. A hand grasped his hair and yanked, pulling him upright. Slamming him face first into the wall, he blinked out of his stupor and tried to look over his shoulder, meeting an angry glare. "What?" he started to ask, voice slurred from the blows he sustained.

Her knee slammed into his upper back. Her free hand yanked his Padawan braid, hissing angrily into his ear as she wound it through her fingers. "Your worthless, pathetic, Sithspawn of a Master stole her life as though it was his right. It was not. That right was mine – and mine alone."

The snarl of rage chilled Anakin even as the thin, jagged knife tore a line down from his ear and towards his spine, digging in more deeply as it traveled along. Warm blood soaked into his clothes, bringing with it fresh pain and a light headed feeling of elation. Was his agony truly going to end with his death? The thought traveled through his mind, causing him a giddy feeling of both relief – and despair. To die here, in a place so full of hate, without anyone he loved beside him, it was a tragic thought.

And yet, to spare them this sight, it would be a good thing.

But his Master was coming to rescue him. His Master…the thought caused a bolt of fear to shoot through him. If this fiend got her hands on him, what would she do to his beloved Master? He had to stop her, had to fight her somehow.

With her knee smashed into his lower back and her hand tight on his braid, easily keeping him pinned against the wall, there was nothing he could do. His hands thrashed about uselessly, unable to find the strength to push away from the wall and free himself for he would not indulge in letting go of the anger that boiled within him.

As much as he wished to save Obi-Wan, he couldn't do it by using the anger. Could he? Should he?

"I should carve you up for him to find," she purred out the idea, tearing at his thin shirt, unremitting in her slow attack, though the sight of his red blood tempted her. It teased her senses and she idly wondered what it would look like, spilled across the sands. "Would you like that? To be nothing more than bait to bring that wretch to his death?"

The dark screamed for release, begged to get revenge – to shut her up. He bucked, twisting against her hold – causing the tight grip to loosen incrementally.

"Release him, Sing," a voice ordered. "Or take his place."

"No," she said. "He must pay for what happened."

"Then you will take his place."

Growling indecisively, she finally stood back. The woman would do exactly as she said. She would see to it that Aurra herself was placed in the arena. Spitting on his fallen body, she pushed past the scientist, "I thought you wanted him broken," she snarled as the woman followed her.

"Broken, yes. Killed because you are a foolish and unwise woman, no," she icily retorted. "Fight him in the arena for the others to feast upon if you must engage in senseless acts of pugilism but leave the toy alone if you cannot control your rage. The Lady will not be pleased to lose him so easily."

"I thought she was a fool."

"She is – but she is correct about the boy. If you can break him into accepting the modifications, fine. If you can't without killing him, I don't want you near him. He is food – and breeding material. We are not coming back to this area of space for at least a thousand years."

"Fine," she sneered.

The scientist turned her back on the assassin and resumed her work. She picked up a small tube of a red, glowing fluid. It sloshed a little, bubbled up before settling down again. Her nose twisted up distastefully at the thought, but the boy was recalcitrant. "Aurra, what do you know of lunar red?"

"It's a drug, why?" she replied, still teaming with resentment.

"No reason – except that it is a powerfully addictive drug. I wonder…" her words trailed off and she focused on the wall that now divided her from the boy's cell. "I wonder," she repeated faintly.

As if sensing the impending threat, Anakin shivered. _Master, where are you? How are you? Are you scared for me? I'm afraid for you. I'm afraid of what you may face. Help me, Master. I need you. I love you_.


	18. Not Quite Gone Then

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea.  
__Author's Note and Thanks: I am posting this chapter to let everyone know that __**the muse is back**__. But that I will be focusing mostly on "__A Twist of Fate__" – unless I hear otherwise, I plan to finish that one first. I think my problem was that I bit off more story than I could adequately chew and thus, lost the impetus for both of my babies. To everyone who has supported me – both vocally and just by reading this story, my deepest and heartfelt thanks go out to you all. I hope this lives up to the wait and do apologize that there will still be a delay on it. Also, in a few days I will be changing my penname to match my lj one - eryn-skynobi_.

***

Obi-Wan tossed uneasily on the bed, unable to find any amount of true rest. The silence in his mind was unendurable – and unnatural. The utter lack of Anakin appalled him, as did the sheer weight of the desperate fear he felt.

Rising, unable to rest any longer, he grabbed his folded cloak, thankful to Mrs. Lars for her kindness in caring for it. The fresh scent of it did nothing to dispel the chill he felt throughout him and seeping into his bones. As he pulled it on, he walked out, noticing the stillness that seemed odd for a working moisture farm.

Quickening his pace, he moved outside. The silence remained and deafened him. Kneeling down once he'd climbed to the top of the stairs, he reached out and felt the pull of life towards the desert beyond the barrier.

Returning to his feet, he made his way towards it and stopped, horrified by the death he was surrounded by. Only one lone person remained and he could not tell if it was a Tusken Raider or a farmer – or anyone at all. Rushing forward, he tried to offer aid, seeing the bleeding wound.

"Master," the specter croaked out before his breathing stuttered and stopped.

Shaking with fear, he reached out with a trembling hand and drew the covering robe aside. "No," his horrified whisper pierced the air as he stared at his Padawan's grey and bruised face. Anakin looked older, far older than he should.

Gasping, he jerked upright and wildly looked about the room. As his breathing slowed, he heard voices speaking softly from somewhere in the house. Pushing back the covers, he rose and saw his robe, neatly folded on the chair.

Dread crawled up his spine as he recalled that this had already happened.

Releasing it into the Force, he pulled it on and stepped out, following the voices into the kitchen. "_I think we should postpone the party, mom. I want Anakin here for this. He's my brother_." Obi-Wan heard someone say. He tried to place it but couldn't recall Anakin ever saying anything about having a brother – he only ever spoke of his mother.

"I understand your feelings because I feel the same way. But I also have to face the fact that it could be a long time before he'd found. The Jedi are not all powerful, omniscient beings. As I told Ani, we cannot stop living just because bad things happen. How long are you going to ask Beru to wait? I've waited ten long years to see Ani again – and he was safe then. Now, he's been captured by the unknown. His future's uncertain," she pointed out, heart breaking in her voice.

"I cannot – _**I will not**_ – let what happened to him cause me to stop living. To shut myself up because of my hurt and pain," she finished.

Beru looked up, seeing Obi-Wan standing in the doorway, an uncertain look upon his face. She smiled kindly at him, "Good afternoon."

"Hello," he greeted them all, feeling uncomfortably aware of the attention he was receiving. Mostly the looks were curious, though Cliegg and Shmi's looks were full of compassion and knowledge of the cost he'd paid earlier. Had it only been hours ago that he'd lost Anakin _**and**_ been in a fight for his life?

"Master Kenobi, sit down before you fall down," Shmi said, rising to walk over to him. Her look brooked no argument from him. He sank down in the offered chair, relieved to be off his feet. "Perhaps you could settle this for us."

"I will help in any way I can," he replied, wrapping his hands around the cup Cliegg handed him. Though he wasn't sure what it was exactly, the aroma was soothing to his senses. Not to mention that the warmth felt good to his aching soul.

"This evening we were going to have a party, both to welcome Ani," her voice cracked, the reminder of the loss stealing her voice momentarily. Obi-Wan touched her hand gently, offering her some measure of comfort. She continued after a moment, "To the family. We were also going to announce the engagement of Owen and Beru. Should we cancel the party because of what happened?"

"How many know of the dual purpose of the party?" he asked.

"My family, of course. There was really no way to escape them finding out when I introduced Anakin to them," Beru said with a tiny smile. "But no one else. They only suspect the engagement. Jedi Skywalker really didn't get involved in the community while he was here, though many are certainly aware that he was here. It is rather hard to hide the presence of a Jedi – especially one who'd won the Boonta Eve Classic."

Obi-Wan slowly nodded, "And the coming attack?"

"We felt it best to inform everyone of the Tuskens gathering presence," Cliegg said.

"So, if the party was cancelled, it would be just the five of us against them," he surmised. "Less death to the community but less ability to defend against them, not very good odds in my opinion. It would be logical to proceed with your plans, though I suspect that the delay is wanted because of an emotional reaction as opposed to any logistics in contacting those invited to make sure that they will not arrive."

"Yes, I want Anakin to be here. He's family," Owen said, then sighed. "But mom's right – as are you. We don't know when he'll be back – unless you know?"

Obi-Wan hated to disappoint him, to destroy the fragile hope he saw in those eyes – but he couldn't lie to him. He couldn't lie to any of them and bring about false belief. It was not only wrong, but was incredibly cruel to do so. "I'm sorry but I don't. The Force doesn't reveal all to us."

"Then what does it do?" Beru asked, curious. This was the first time she'd gotten a chance to ask the question that had been on her mind since meeting Anakin. For all his vaunted Jedi training, he seemed so _normal_. A bit too head strong and opinionated in her mind about some things, that was certainly true, but perfectly normal. So, what made him so different?

"It guides, warns, comforts, aids in defense, protects, gives us a greater awareness of things around us, heals…there are many other things I could list. These are just a few things. While the Force is not a tool, it can be used as such. But if one is truly in tune, the Force is a guide and companion upon the road of life," he could see the question in their eyes. Thus, his next words were spoken with a wince, "Yes, it could have guided me to Anakin had not our teacher/student bond been broken. Whoever took him knew what they were doing."

Cliegg cleared his throat, bringing their attention to him. "We are getting off the subject. Right now, we have to decide what to do. You can question him later."

Though he wanted to apologize for making Cliegg uncomfortable, he did not. It wasn't the kind of apology the man would accept. Cliegg was pragmatic; talking of the Force was not something that fit into his mind of the way things worked. Obi-Wan could accept that.

"I think you have already made the choice," he softly pointed out. "But if you would have my earnest counsel in this, I will give it. Do not stop living because Anakin is no longer _**physically**_ with you. He is with you always. You cannot see how his love for you encircles you in protective waves. He is here still."

Shmi gasped, her eyes tearing up. It was one thing to believe that he was there. It was something else to hear it confirmed. Without a trace of self-consciousness, he hugged Obi-Wan, starling him. "Thank you," she whispered. "I needed to hear that so much."

"You're welcome," his answer was rather stilted sounding. Other than for Anakin, he'd never been hugged – never hugged another being. It felt odd to be held by someone he didn't really know.

Clearing her throat, she stood back up. "Let's get to work – except for you, Master Kenobi. You are not ready for anything. And don't say otherwise. You are not."

"I would not feel right, sitting here while you worked away," he protested.

"I'm a mother," she said, her look stern. "And you will not win this discussion. Rest, relax. There will be time enough for you to work later."

"I'd give up," Owen suggested, "You won't win."

Shmi smiled, "Listen to him. He's telling the truth."

Seeing that flash of Anakin in her face, silenced Obi-Wan. With an assenting – if every slow – nod, he sat back and watched them disappear out the door.

***

The sound of crying brought him out of his thoughts and turned his attention towards the other occupant in the room. Narrowing his eyes to see better in the gloom, he saw the woman from earlier. The one who'd stopped him from escaping.

Anger filled him and squashed his compassion for her plight. Turning away, he tried to let it go, feeling only frustrated as it clogged his throat.

"It won't help," she said.

"What?" he snapped.

"Letting you anger go – they won't allow it. Our captors need it to much. It's how they survive," she dully informed him.

"There has to be some way," he said, denying her words.

"I've been here for almost ten years. There is no way," she told him. "Do you think I've not tried? What they've done to us doesn't allow…do you even know?"

"I refuse to accept that there is no way out. I will not let them destroy what I am," he flatly said.

"You better, things will be easier for you."

"I don't want easy," he snarled. "I want out. And I _**will**_ get out, make no mistake about that. I will get out of here."

"No one ever gets out."

"I'm not _no one_," the way he said it made it sound as though it was a name. He was unconsciously echoing the tenor of the words he'd said to Padmé on the day they met. "I am Anakin Skywalker."

"You will soon forget that name. I no longer remember my own for it is unimportant here."

A shiver of foreboding ran through him but he pushed it aside. "Even if that happens, I will never forget who I truly am. I will not live like this. I will be rescued or I will escape. There is simply no other acceptable solution."

For the first time, she actually looked at him. A strange light seemed to emanate from him, though it was tinged with the modifications that the scientist had done to him. In all her years there, she'd never seen anything quite like it. There was something about him that made her want to believe him. "You are a naïve idiot if you believe that." The words were spoken with as much venom as she could muster – directed at him and at herself for daring to believe in him.

"I'd rather be an idiot than a hopeless fool," he shot back. Any pity he'd begun to feel for her was suffocated once more. She wanted no help save death and he would not help her there. Not only would it not be her freedom, but it would be his funeral too.

The next morning – or what he believed was the morning – a formless figure tossed brown bowls of some kind of gruel into their cell. The woman ate ravenously, as if it was the first meal she'd had in months. With a great deal of reluctant distaste, Anakin picked it up. Though he did not like the way it looked, he picked up the spoon.

His hand suddenly burned.

With a dull slam, the spoon and the food fell to the floor. Blinking, he stared in dumb amazement as the brown grey gruel stained the dirty ground red. "What kind of devilry is this?" he asked hoarsely.

Stepping back, he absently rubbed his hand. Turning to the woman, he noticed that her gaze was focused on the gruel, starvation apparent in her face. Anakin shuddered away from the pathetic sight. Would he soon become as craven – as barrenly desperate as she?

No, he shook off such defeatist thoughts. Not only would he get out, he knew his Master was coming for him. And he knew that his Master never lied, no matter what. He would rescue Anakin – or die in the attempt.

_But_, his thoughts turned back to the strange burning sensation, _if they took the Force away, how did I know of the danger in the food? Was it possible that something had gone wrong_? "What was that?"

"Our weekly meal – which you have squandered," she replied.

Anakin knew hunger. Had dreaded it years ago. Even the somewhat generous manner of Watto had not protected his mother or him from the creeping pains that lack of food brought. Though he'd been provided for over the years, Anakin had not forgotten what it was like to live and work on an empty stomach. The gnawing ache that never quite seemed filled even with a good meal.

But he would not allow himself to dwell upon it or fear _would_ come. There were other ways to get food, especially since he was quickly coming to the realization that the protective side of the Force wasn't as far from him as his captors – and his strange compatriot – seemed to believe.

He shrugged and she stared at him, utterly aghast at his audacity. "Are you daft? Don't you know what that means to you?"

"Sure. But I've gone without food before."

"I'm sure," she sneered at him. "A proper Jedi like you, growing up in that fine Temple with every need met. Yeah, you know what it's like to go hungry and be merely a plaything for others. Next you'll tell me that you can get us out of here with a pin and a thin wire."

Anakin walked over to the door and studied the lock. A grin crossed his face after a moment, "Why? Do you have them? Because it won't take me more that a minute to get this lock jimmied loose."

"And I suppose you think you can fly this thing out of here?" she sarcastically asked, ignoring the queer feeling inside. If felt strangely like hope.

Shrugging, he said as he walked back to sit down. "I was a pod racer at one time. Shouldn't be to hard to figure this ship out – given the freedom to do so."

The sheer volume of his confident audacity stopped her. All she could do was stare down at him in utter shock. The fool boy meant every word he said. He actually thought he could get out of here.

"You're cracked," she finally said.

"No. I have a plan to get out," he replied, meeting her look evenly. "I will never stop trying to escape. I was a slave once, I will not be one again. And even if I never succeed, my Master will save me."

"Your Master," she spat the word scathingly at him, "has forgotten you."

"No," he refuted her words. "He loves me and that is not something that Obi-Wan Kenobi does easily. He does not forget though he cares for and loves. Obi-Wan will come."

"You're a fool to believe that."

"You've made your opinion know as I have my truth. But mine will prove correct in the end." And with that, he began to meditate. Even if he could not reach the Force, he could find comfort in this action.

***

End, part whatever this one is


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